Industrially compatible production of customizable honeycomb-patterned poly(vinyl chloride) using food-wrapping waste for power-boosting triboelectric nanogenerator and ocean wave energy harvester

The accumulating volume of plastic waste globally, particularly from food packaging, has raised urgent concerns of plastic pollution. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) utilizing plastic waste offer a promising solution for not only reducing plastic pollution but minimizing energy crisis, and enabling the development of self-powered wearable electronics. However, these TENGs suffer from significant limitations, including low output performance and limited working reliability due to the use of low-grade materials. To address these issues, this study proposes a versatile approach to enhance the electrification effectiveness of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) waste by imprinting a customizable honeycomb structure on its surface. The proposed method is cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and time-efficient, enabling the production of a uniform porous structure on large PVC film surfaces (e.g., 12 × 10 cm2). This approach facilitates the recycling of a significant amount of PVC plastic waste in the environment without emitting any toxic by-products, unlike other thermal treatments. The honeycomb structure is imprinted on the raw aluminum-contained multilayered packages, serving as both the electrode and frictional surface. The TENG, assembled with negatively charged structured PVC and the aluminum counterpart, demonstrates remarkable performance, generating an open-circuit voltage of 340 V and an average power density of 2.8 W·m–2. These values represent an enhancement of approximately 2.7 times and 4 times, respectively, compared to flat PVC. Furthermore, the waste-based TENG exhibits exceptional durability and reliability, with smooth operation even after 20,000 contact-separation cycles. Due to the excellent water repellency of the honeycomb structure, the hc-PVC shows particular promise for applications in ocean wave energy harvesting and powering wastewater monitoring sensors, extending its potential beyond conventional usage.