Plant-based triboelectric nanogenerator for biomechanical energy harvesting

Abstract

As people became more aware of environmental issues, several designs of triboelectric energy harvesters based on biocompatible and eco-friendly natural materials have been developed in recent years. This manuscript reports a plant-based green triboelectric nanogenerator using extracted leaf powder of the Rumex vesicarius plant and PET as triboelectric layers. When hand-tapped, the developed TENG generated an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 3.86 V, and a short-circuit current (Isc) of 3.78μA, respectively. The device has the highest power density of 0.1894μW/cm 2 at load resistances of ∼20 MΩ and can directly power up one light-emitting diode. The TENG response has been tested over 1200 cycles, confirming its remarkable stability. The proposed TENG can be a promising sustainable tool to capture mechanical energy from nature and our everyday actions and thus convert it into electricity.