Plant-based triboelectric nanogenerator for biomechanical energy harvesting
Anjaly Babu, D. Rakesh, P. Supraja, Siju Mishra, K. Uday Kumar, R. Rakesh Kumar, D. Haranath, Estari Mamidala, Raju Nagapuri
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.