A Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Waste Plastic and Layered Materials via Modulation of the Electrical and Dielectric Properties

Environmental pollution caused by millions of waste plastics not only is depleting our natural resources but also is one of the key factors for climate change and is globally growing. Moreover, developing carbon-free energy production is crucial for renewable energy and remains challenging. Hence, the development of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) based on waste plastic is a promising solution that can address both issues simultaneously. In this study, we demonstrate three types of TENGs based on waste plastic and layered VS₂ (plastic-VS₂), SnS₂ (plastic-SnS₂), and hBN (plastic-hBN). The plastic-hBN TENG generated the highest output power density of 460 mW/m², in comparison to plastic-VS₂ (9.4 mW/m²) and plastic-SnS₂ TENGs (47 mW/m²), along with long-term stability over 10000 cycles. Interestingly, the output power density increases with the factor of resistivity × dielectric constant of the layered materials, from 2.29 × 10⁵ Ωm (VS₂) to 197 × 10⁵ Ωm (hBN). As an application, plastic-hBN TENG is demonstrated to illuminate 76 light-emitting diodes driven by footsteps. Moreover, the TENG is attached beneath a shoe and integrated with Arduino to monitor the distance traveled and speed during walking/running, suggesting promising applications of the developed TENG for mechanical energy harvesting and wearable electronics.