-Joint research with University of Calgary, Canada
-Developed a novel DC-output energy harvesting device based on nanoporous carbon materials
-Achieved 5.7 times higher performance than conventional devices
-Published in the internationally renowned journal Chemical Engineering Journal (Impact Factor 13.4)

▲ Yeong-Seong Kim, Department of Mechanical, Robotics, and Energy Engineering

Dongguk University (President Jae-Woong Yoon) announced that Professor Youngsung Kim from the Department of Mechanical, Robotics and Energy Engineering, in collaboration with a research team from the University of Calgary (Canada), has developed a next-generation energy harvesting and sensing device based on biomechanical motion.

The international research team focused on harvesting biomechanical energy and developed a compact device that can be embedded into the insole of a shoe. The team explained that the device “achieved simplified design and miniaturization by employing a Kapton-based mechanical rectifier, while maximizing the surface area, porosity, and charge storage characteristics of nanoporous carbon materials.”

▲ graphical abstract

The newly developed high-efficiency carbon-based device demonstrated an approximately 5.7-fold performance improvement over existing technologies and successfully passed durability testing over more than 40,000 cycles. Unlike conventional alternating current (AC)-based systems, this device generates direct current (DC) power without the need for complex rectifier circuits, making it highly applicable to wearable electronics, IoT sensor nodes, sports and medical devices, and portable electronics.

Professor Kim stated, “We have developed a material and device structure along with a mechanical operation mechanism that ensures durability even when embedded in a shoe insole. This research overcomes the limitations of conventional materials and proposes optimized strategies for device design and fabrication.” He added, “While the device is currently based on biomechanical motion, we expect it could also be applied to energy harvesting systems for robotic platforms that involve repetitive mechanical movements.”

The study, titled “Bimetallic nanoporous carbon-based direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators for biomechanical energy harvesting and sensing,” was published in the September 2025 issue of the Chemical Engineering Journal, a globally respected journal (Impact Factor: 13.4, top 3.1% in JCR).

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) through the NRF Leading Research Center Program, and by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) through KIAT’s Industrial Innovation Talent Growth Program.