Sugar-based triboelectric nanogenerators for effectively harvesting vibration energy and sugar quality assessment

With the rapid development of global economy, especially the advancement and popularization of the next-generation portable electronics and the Internet of Things, the demand for sustainable power source that can drive numerous sensors from every corner of the world is becoming increasingly important. Different from the existing studies on energy utilization of sugars, such as the oxidation of glucose to generate electricity, where chemical energy is converted into electricity, we utilize the physical property of sugar for energy converting application. Here, a biocompatible and degradable sugar triboelectric nanogenerator (S-TENG) with a simple structure is reported in this paper. The sugar-filled balls are the main body, where the inner metal film of the ball acts as both triboelectric electrode and current collector. The open-circuit and output power density of S-TENG is 304.3 V and 4.21 W/m(3), respectively. Not only is it capable of powering approximately 130 LEDs and commercial electronic temperature/humidity sensors, but it can also sensitively detect the humidity and purity of the filled sugar.

Automated summary

This paper introduces a biocompatible and degradable sugar triboelectric nanogenerator (S-TENG) that utilizes the physical property of sugar for energy converting application, with a simple structure. The S-TENG has high output power density, capable of powering LEDs and electronic sensors, as well as detecting the humidity and purity of the filled sugar.