Sustainable energy harvesting and breath sensing with electrospun triboelectric nylon-6
E J Jelmy,
Mathew Sunil,
Chitra Kandappanthodi,
P Rincy,
K J Saji,
Suresh C Pillai,
Honey John
Affiliations
E J Jelmy
Inter University Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India
Mathew Sunil
Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India; International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India
Chitra Kandappanthodi
Inter University Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India
P Rincy
Inter University Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India
K J Saji
Inter University Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India; International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India
Nanotechnology and Bio-Engineering Research Group, Department of Environmental Science, School of Science, Atlantic Technological University , Ash Lane, Sligo F91YW50, Ireland
Inter University Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India; Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology , Kochi, Kerala 682022, India
A high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been developed for breath sensing applications, utilizing tribopositive electrospun nylon-6 nanofibers and tribonegative fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP). The optimization toward the development of electrospun nylon-6-based TENG includes a range of factors such as the applied force and frequency on tribo responses, the thickness of the fiber mat, the concentration of nylon-6 in the fiber mats, and the selection of the tribonegative material for pairing with nylon-6 nanofiber. Among these parameters, the nanofiber prepared with 18 wt% nylon-6, characterized by a uniform fiber distribution, the highest surface area of 55.69 m ^2 g ^−1 , and an optimal thickness of 0.169 mm, demonstrated excellent TENG performance, among others. The TENG module constructed using nanofiber in a 4 cm ^2 area showed the TENG responses of more than 30 μ A short-circuit current, 200 V open-circuit voltage, and 90 nC charge when hand-pressed. It achieved a substantial power density of 890 mW m ^−2 at 20 MΩ by applying a constant force of 10 N at a 10 Hz frequency. Charging a 1 μ F capacitor to approximately 30.1 V in just 30 s highlights the potential of electrospun nylon-6 as a promising material for nanogenerator energy harvesting and sensing applications. The TENG device was found to be sufficient to power small, portable electronics such as LEDs and digital watch displays. A wearable belt was fabricated to showcase its breath-sensing capabilities by pairing it with FEP. The microcontroller connected to the TENG in the wearable belt is used to analyze the output produced through breathing patterns, subsequently activating a buzzer and LED by the nature of the breathing.
