High output soft-contact fiber-structure triboelectric nanogenerator and its sterilization application.

Infectious diseases are spreading rapidly with the flow of the world population, and the prevention of epidemic diseases is particularly important for public and personal health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a simple, efficient, and non-toxic method to control the spread of bacteria and viruses. The newly developed triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) can generate high voltage, which inhibits bacterial reproduction. However, the output performance is the main factor limiting the real-world applications of the TENGs. Herein, we report a soft-contact fiber-structure TENG to avoid insufficient friction states and to improve the outputs, especially at a high rotation speed. Rabbit hair, carbon nanotubes, PVDF film, and paper all contain fiber structures, which are used to guarantee soft contact between the friction layers and improve the contact state and abrasion problem. Compared with the direct-contact triboelectric nanogenerator, the outputs of this soft-contact fiber-structure TENG are improved by about 350%. Meanwhile, the open circuit voltage can be enhanced to 3500 V, which solves the matching problems when driving high-voltage devices, and then a TENG-driven ultraviolet sterilization system is developed. The bactericidal rate of this sterilization system can reach 91%, which significantly reduces the risk of disease breeding. This work has improved a forward-looking strategy to improve the outputs and service life of TENG. It has also expanded the applications of self-powered TENG sterilization systems.