Eco-friendly PVA-Walnut shell-based triboelectric nanogenerator for biomechanical energy harvesting and self-powered touch sensing

Sabita  TRIPATHY; Gayatri  MOHAPATRA; Arjun KUMAR; Manoj kumar DEBNATH

doi:10.55713/jmmm.v36i3.2664

Authors

Sabita TRIPATHY Department of Electrical Engineering, Siksha O Anusandhan (deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar 751030, India
Gayatri MOHAPATRA Department of Electrical Engineering, Siksha O Anusandhan (deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar 751030, India
Arjun KUMAR Department of Electrical Engineering, Sri Phanishwar Nath Renu Engineering College Araria, DSTTE Bihar, 854318, India
Manoj kumar DEBNATH Department of Electrical Engineering, Siksha O Anusandhan (deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar 751030, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55713/jmmm.v36i3.2664

Keywords:

Triboelectric nanogenerator, Sustainable energy harvesting, biodegradable

Abstract

The growing demand for sustainable power in wearable electronics necessitates eco-friendly energy harvesting alternatives. Herein, a polyvinyl alcohol-walnut shell (PVA-WS) composite was developed as a biodegradable triboelectric active layer for a single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). Walnut shell powder, a lignocellulosic agricultural byproduct, was incorporated into PVA at an optimised 3 wt%, enhancing surface micro-roughness and charge trapping capability as confirmed by SEM and XRD analyses. The fabricated device yielded a peak output voltage of 130 V, short-circuit current of 390 nA, and maximum power of 20 μW at 500 MΩ under 1 Hz excitation, while also successfully harvesting biomechanical energy from human motion and functioning as a self-powered material-discriminating touch sensor, positioning PVA-WS composites as promising candidates for next-generation sustainable electronics.

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