Sustainable Electrospun Hybrid Nanofibers for Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as potential energy-harvesting modules for miniaturized devices. TENG modules are derived often from components having low sustainability whereas the current environmental and economic circumstances demand a focus on sustainable, ecologically friendly approaches for the development of advanced hybrid materials. Herein, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) along with commercially available nylon are electrospun into nanofibers for TENG devices. The obtained nanofibers are characterized using microscopy, spectroscopy, and thermal and mechanical analysis. Electrospinning of pristine and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) blended polymer solutions resulted in uniform nanofibers without beads. The addition of TiO₂ NPs improved the thermal properties and significantly improved the mechanical stability of the nanofibers. The performance of the fabricated TENG device has been improved by functionalizing the nanofibers with TiO₂ NPs. Particularly, the combination of pristine PET and TiO₂ NPs (5%) functionalized nylon nanofibers reached a peak power density of 23.44 mW m⁻² with a surface charge density of 6.81 µC m⁻², a max output voltage of 111 V and a max current of −1.61µA. This study opens a new avenue to utilize upcycled cost-effective polymers processed using electrospinning as a powerful tool for the fabrication of the next generation of sustainable TENG devices.