Harnessing Human Footsteps: Graphene-Cement Triboelectric Energy Harvester for Sustainable Energy Harvesting

A triboelectric energy harvester (TEH) based on graphene-cement was developed to capture mechanical energy from human footsteps. The TEH was fabricated using hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) as a binder and water as a solvent to create a cement composite with graphene as a conductive filler. Compared to a pristine cement-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), the addition of graphene significantly enhanced the electrical performance in vertical contact-separation mode, resulting in an 87% increase in voltage generation. The optimized graphene-cement TEH, containing 5 wt% graphene, achieved a peak-to-peak voltage of 56 V and a short-circuit current of 12 mA. Additionally, the device demonstrated excellent mechanical stability, maintaining over 100% of its initial performance after 300 impact cycles. This innovative approach highlights the potential of graphene-enhanced cementitious materials for scalable energy harvesting applications, contributing to the advancement of sustainable and renewable energy solutions.