Sodium Niobate Nanowires Embedded PVA-Hydrogel-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Versatile Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered CO Gas Sensor

Abstract

The surging demand for sustainable energy solutions and adaptable electronic devices has led to the exploration of alternative and advanced power sources. Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) stand out as a promising technology for efficient energy harvesting, but research on fully flexible and environmental friendly TENGs still remain limited. In this study, an innovative approach is introduced utilizing an ionic-solution modified conductive hydrogel embedded with piezoelectric sodium niobate nanowires-based Triboelectric Nanogenerator (NW-TENG), offering intrinsic advantages to healthcare and wearable devices. The synthesized NW-TENG, with a 12.5 cm2 surface area, achieves peak output performance, producing ≈840 V of voltage and 2.3 µC of charge transfer, respectively. The rectified energy powers up 30 LEDs and a stopwatch; while the NW-TENG efficiently charges capacitors from 1µF to 100 µF, reaching 1 V within 4 to 65 s at 6 Hz. Integration with prototype carbon monoxide (CO) gas sensor transform the device into a self-powered gas sensory technology. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of nanowire effects on TENG performance, offering insights for designing highly flexible and environmentally friendly TENGs, and extending applications to portable self-powered gas sensors and wearable devices.