As modern warfare rapidly evolves toward distributed, intelligent, and globally stealth operations, the large-scale deployment of individual soldier smart terminals, long-endurance unmanned combat platforms, and distributed battlefield sensor networks has posed revolutionary demands on energy supply systems and all-domain state monitoring technologies. Traditional wired power supply models are constrained by battlefield terrain and mobility requirements, while chemical batteries face severe performance degradation at low temperatures, short endurance cycles, and high logistical supply pressure—especially in extreme environments such as polar regions, deep oceans, or NBC-contaminated areas where frequent battery replacement not only strains supply lines but also reveals combat intentions. Now, researchers from Beijing Institute of Technology and Zhejiang Normal University, led by Professor Xiaoxia Ma and Professor Yingting Wang, have presented a comprehensive review that establishes a strategic framework for triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) in military applications—providing a disruptive path for constructing self-sustaining military microsystems with high-efficiency and zero-power-sensing characteristics.
Why This Technology Matters
Traditional military energy and sensing architectures suffer from inherent flaws that have become strategic bottlenecks hindering combat effectiveness. Existing sensing systems rely heavily on external energy supply and lack adaptability to complex battlefield environments—high-temperature differences cause sensing accuracy drift, strong electromagnetic interference distorts signals, and severe vibration damages device structures. The review overcomes this limitation by systematically evaluating TENG advances across an escalating hierarchy of military platforms, adopting a rigorous defense engineering perspective that bridges the critical gap between laboratory demonstrations and actual combat requirements.
Innovative Design and Mechanism
The review reveals that TENGs, based on Maxwell's expanded displacement current theory, efficiently convert ubiquitous low-frequency and disordered mechanical energy into high-quality electrical energy through contact electrification and electrostatic induction. Unlike traditional electromagnetic generators that require high-speed continuous rotation, the polarization-driven displacement current sustains efficient energy conversion even under highly irregular battlefield excitations. Five working modes—contact-separation, lateral-sliding, single-electrode, freestanding-layer, and rolling—demonstrate differentiated advantages in friction loss control, output stability, and equipment integration adaptability. The extended Maxwell equations introduce a mechanically triggered polarization term (PS) that explains why these devices inherently excel at capturing chaotic mechanical energy from infantry tactical movements and armored-vehicle vibrations, while their dielectric-polymer-based architecture naturally endows tactical advantages including extreme lightweight characteristics, wave-permeable properties for radar stealth, and zero-power passive sensing capabilities.
Outstanding Performance and Applications
The review critically maps TENG applications across four overarching military platform categories. For individual soldier combat platforms, TENG-enabled wearable devices achieve structure-function integration: fluoroalkylsilane-modified textiles maintain charge density in humid environments; magnetic field-assisted aramid aerogels preserve 75 μC m -2 at 300°C; and biomimetic spider-silk-inspired fabrics integrate neutron/electromagnetic dual shielding with optical/electrothermal management. For unmanned combat platforms, bionic triboelectric whisker sensor arrays achieve >98% state-recognition accuracy for underwater vehicle maneuvers, while owl-wing-inspired anemometers reduce cut-in wind speed for UAV meteorological reconnaissance. For strategic equipment platforms, hybrid triboelectric-variable reluctance generators enable wireless bearing monitoring every 34 seconds at 600 rpm inside aero-engines, and self-powered biomimetic whisker sensors classify space debris in microgravity environments. For special tactical scenarios, miniature TENG accelerometers maintain linearity (R 2 = 0.96) under devastating impacts up to 1.8 × 10 4 g, while intelligent target range systems achieve 100% multi-hole recognition rates for ballistic analysis.
Critical Challenges and Strategic Solutions
Moving beyond generic laboratory demonstrations, the review conducts an integrated failure-mode analysis evaluating device degradation under severe battlefield stressors. Three primary engineering bottlenecks are identified and addressed: (i) Inherent impedance mismatch—solved through AI-enhanced power management chips with autonomous high-voltage switches and multi-stage impedance-matching networks that boost energy conversion efficiency to practical levels; (ii) Environmental instability—mitigated via military-grade encapsulation, non-contact rolling modes, and self-healing hydrophobic functional materials that combat charge decay, material wear, dielectric breakdown, and seal degradation; (iii) Scalable manufacturing barriers—addressed through roll-to-roll printing technologies, textile/fiber-based structure-as-power designs, and standardized benchmarking aligned with MIL-STD protocols.
Future Outlook
The review outlines four forward-looking strategic priorities: (1) Battlefield-oriented mechanism modeling with MIL-STD-based reliability qualification; (2) Adaptive energy conversion and multi-source hybridized architectures integrating photovoltaic and thermoelectric systems; (3) Energetic material integration for intelligent ammunition and active hardware security; and (4) System-level reconfiguration toward self-powered tactical networks with physical-layer encryption. This work establishes TENG technology not merely as an energy solution but as a strategic empowerment technology that comprehensively reshapes the battlefield—achieving real-time global perception in modern warfare while maintaining strict radio silence and electromagnetic stealth.
Stay tuned for more groundbreaking research from this collaborative team at Beijing Institute of Technology and Zhejiang Normal University!
Nano-Micro Letters
News article
Triboelectric Nanogenerators in Military: Recent Progress and Critical Challenges
4-Jun-2026