Electronic Waste to Energy: Self‐Powered Electronic Devices and Organic Dye Degradation Using TENG‐Assisted Photocatalysis
Anusha Kaki, Gouranga Maharana, Navaneeth Madathil, Velupula Mahesh, K. Uday Kumar, Paul Joseph Daniel, R. Rakesh Kumar
Abstract
Abstract Electronic waste (e‐waste) and the use of portable electronic devices are rapidly increasing due to technological advancements globally, leading to harmful effects on the environment. E‐waste causes severe environmental damage, such as the pollution of soil, water, and air. Therefore, there is an urge for effective e‐waste management, recycling, and sustainable consumption. In this report, We developed high‐performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) utilizing discarded laptop LCD screens as triboelectric layers for energy harvesting and organic dye pollutant degradation. Among all the fabricated devices, the LCDW4‐TENG exhibited exceptional performance with fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) as the opposite frictional layer, yielding a V oc of ≈470 V, I sc of ≈ 143 µA, and a power density of 5.04 W m − 2 at a load resistance of 1 MΩ. The long‐term stability of the device is tested over 6,000 cycles and is found to be very stable. This e‐waste‐based TENG is employed in the treatment of methylene blue organic dye through TENG‐assisted photocatalysis. An enhanced degradation efficiency of methylene blue dye is observed with the support of TENG. This work highlights the potential of LCD waste‐derived TENGs for driving self‐powered electronic devices and environmental remediation applications thereby contributing to the circular economy concept.