Melamine-Foam-Based Shape Memory Nanocomposite for a Highly Durable Triboelectric Nanogenerator

The development of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) that exhibit enhanced durability and performance is crucial for their practical usage. Incorporating 3D and shape memory nanocomposites into TENGs is a promising strategy to achieve this goal. In this study, the effect of various oxide nanoparticles (Al₂O₃, SiO₂, and TiO₂) on the TENG’s performance was evaluated, and Al₂O₃ was found to have the most significant impact. Subsequently, a shape memory melamine foam–poly­(vinyl alcohol)–Al₂O₃ [SM­(MF-PVA-Al₂O₃)] nanocomposite was synthesized to fabricate a durable and high-performing TENG. The SM­(MF-PVA-Al₂O₃) nanocomposite has the ability to recover deformations and shape changes through heating (at 70 °C for 15 min), which restores the TENG’s performance to its initial value without any noticeable difference. This recovery can be repeated multiple times. The resulting TENG exhibited a high performance (1325.96 V and 7.71 μA) and power density (70.99 mW/cm²) and was capable of powering 110 commercial LEDs. Therefore, the SM­(MF-PVA-Al₂O₃) nanocomposite is a suitable material for fabricating TENGs with practical applications that are both high-performance and durable.