Self-powered sucrose detection using a superhydrophobic liquid–solid triboelectric nanogenerator

Abstract

Real-time monitoring of sucrose concentration is essential in intelligent industrial processing, food quality control, and biochemical manufacturing, creating demand for sustainable and autonomous sensing technologies. In this work, a liquid–solid triboelectric nanogenerator (LS-TENG) is developed for simultaneous energy harvesting and sucrose concentration sensing using deionized water (DI) and sucrose solutions as the active liquid medium. The device employs a hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface as the solid triboelectric layer, enabling repeated charge generation during droplet contact–separation events. Changes in sucrose concentration significantly affect charge density and electrical output, enabling quantitative sensing without external power sources. The developed LS-TENG achieves a maximum output voltage of −37 V and a current of 52 nA, demonstrating efficient conversion of droplet kinetic energy into electrical signals. The sensing mechanism is attributed to sucrose-induced disruption of the hydrogen-bonding network of water, forming sucrose–water interactions that alter solution conductivity and flow behavior. This study introduces a sustainable, self-powered triboelectric sensing probe, offering a promising platform for real-time sucrose monitoring in smart industrial and process-control applications.