Biocompatible electrospun fibers-based triboelectric nanogenerators for energy harvesting and healthcare monitoring

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are gaining tremendous interest due to their versatile applications and energy harvesting ability. Besides, TENG would be useful for boimedical applications if the triboelectric materials used in the nanogenerator fabrication are non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible. Herein, biocompatible triboelectric fibrous films were prepared via an electrospinning technique. The prepared fibrous tribofilms were employed to fabricate a triboelectric energy harvester and sensor (TEHS). A biocompatible study conducted on the electrospun positive and negative triboelectric films and the substrate reveals that the films are non-toxic and biocompatible. The effect of electrical output performance with respect to various bio-triboelectric materials was systematically studied and optimized. The TEHS, which is lightweight, flexible, scalable, and robust, has a low fabrication processing cost and can be used under various operational conditions. The proposed device had a very quick response time of 1.7 ms, creating a competitive advantage in healthcare monitoring. Multiple TEHS devices were fabricated to be integrated with the healthcare monitoring system. Finally, the proposed TEHS was used to harvest various mechanical energies and power portable electronics. Additionally, the TEHS can be attached to various health monitoring locations to monitor the patient’s physical movement.