Fig. 5: Universality of the field emission effect in TENGs.

a Schematic diagram shows the short-circuit transferred charge of CS–TENG with the different dielectric thickness. The larger dielectric thickness can enhance the electric field across the gap, leading to enhanced field emission. b Calculated electric field in the gap of CS-TENG with the different dielectric thickness. The surface charge density of 1300 μC m⁻² is used for calculation. c Measured output charge of CS–TENG in short-circuit condition. d Test circuit of transferred charge in a S–TENG. An electrometer is directly connected with the electrode to monitor the charge transfer process. e Short-circuit transferred charge of S–TENG under vacuum conditions. The red shading area shows a representative discharge peak. f The enlarged figure shows a discharge peak in the separating process of the S–TENG at figure e. Source data are provided as a Source data file.