Guest Seminar - Energy Management of Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Wearable Electronics Applications
In the era of the internet of things, wearable electronic technology can help citizens to avail advanced features and characteristics in different facets of their daily life. These wearable electronics are powered by current energy storage devices that need regular recharging, but the increasing demand for continuous operation is driving research into new power supplies that can deliver stable electricity. One major development has been a conceptual shift away from grid supply charging toward self-powering, in which the devices continuously operate without external power feeding. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are emerging as a power supply for self-powered electronics due to their lightweight, simple fabrication, diversity in material selection, and high energy conversion efficiency, but the power output of TENGs needs to be trimmed to stably power the electronics. There is a need for flexible power management for self-powered electronic applications, particularly for wearable devices. In this talk, I will address several strategies for power management of TENGs to achieve the high-performing self-powered electronics, including voltage trimming, humidity insensitivity, and durability control.
Dr. Dong-Myeong Shin is currently an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He was inspired to work in nanoscience as an undergraduate researcher with Prof. Yoon-Hwae Hwang and Prof. Hyung Kook Kim at Pusan National University (BS, 2009), where his work focused on the bioprotection effect of sugar glass on living cell. He obtained his M.S (2011) and Ph.D. (2016) degrees in nanomaterials at PNU, continuously working with his two mentors. At PNU, Dong-Myeong's research focused on the glassy dynamics of sugar in nanoconfinement, capacitive biosensor, piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators. In 2016, he joined the Research Center for Energy Convergence Technology (RCECT) at PNU, where his research centered on the bioinspired sensor, to work with Prof. Kyujung Kim as a postdoctoral researcher. Following his Ph.D. and Postdoctoral research at PNU, in 2017, he moved to the University of California, Berkeley as a postdoctoral scholar with Prof. Jeffrey R. Long. His research is dedicated to developing the single ion conducting network polymer for battery applications. Upon completion of his postdoctoral studies in the summer of 2019, Dong-Myeong traveled back to Asia to assume his current position of Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at HKU, where his group has devoted to developing the self-powered nanoelectronics, with an emphasis on important components such as energy harvesting/storage devices and bioinspired electronics.