Tailoring Ionic Salt in Chitosan-Activated Carbon-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Enhanced Mechanical Energy Harvesting

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as an innovative approach for sustainable energy harvesting. These devices can convert mechanical energy, such as the motion of a person or the flow of water, into electrical energy through the combined principles of the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction. The performance of TENG is largely dependent on the selection of materials and their possible modifications to enhance charge generation and transportation. Herein, we report the combination of biodegradable chitosan (CS) and waste dry leaves waste-derived activated carbon (AC) composite films as an effective tribo layer, which upon incorporation of NaCl as an ionic salt induces an impeccable ionic and interfacial polarization within the layer, leading to enhanced charge generation and transfer, thereby boosting the overall performance of the TENG. While the addition of AC in chitosan enhances the open-circuit voltage by 2 times, the innovative combination of chitosan, AC, and NaCl boosts the voltage and short-circuit current by 2.55 and 15.67 times, respectively, achieving a maximum open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of 95.88 V and 20.2 μA under an applied external force of 28.4 N. The developed TENG was also explored in practical applications by powering small electronic devices, like a calculator and a watch, along with evaluating its efficiency in harvesting mechanical energy from different human motions.