Zeolite-Decorated Triboelectric Sensors for Heavy Metal Contaminant Detection
Rayyan Ali Shaukat, Anjae Cha, Ahmed Mahfuz Tamim, Hyunseung Kim, Geon‐Tae Hwang, Han Eol Lee, Zong‐Hong Lin, Kyoungsoo Kim, Chang Kyu Jeong
Abstract
Environmental contamination by heavy metals has become a major health threat, exacerbated by rapid industrialization, thereby creating an urgent demand for highly efficient and sensitive detection devices. In this study, we introduce a highly sensitive triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) based on β-zeolite for multianalytic detection of heavy metal ions. β-Zeolite was spin-coated onto an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate, serving as the tribo-positive layer, while PDMS acted as the tribo-negative layer for self-powered triboelectric sensing signals. The fabricated triboelectric sensor was characterized by an open-circuit voltage of 18.3 V, short-circuit current of 306 nA, and a maximum power density of 602 nW cm –2 at a resistance of 6 MΩ. Notably, the TENS demonstrated excellent sensitivity in detecting Cd 2+ (0.3302 ppm –1 ) and Hg 2+ (0.216 ppm –1 ) within a detection range of 0.01 to 50 ppm, as well as high selectivity for Cd 2+, Hg 2+, and Pb 2+ ions apart from alkali ions. This straightforward and cost-effective approach to fabricating highly sensitive and selective β-zeolite-based TENSs presents a promising pathway for advancing heavy metal-contaminant detection technologies.