Multifunctional\nElectrospun Polycaprolactone-Based\nNanocomposites for Triboelectric Applications: From Energy Harvesting\nto IoT-Based Traffic Management and Pedometer Systems

The pursuit of green and sustainable energy solutions\nhas heightened\ninterest in the conversion of naturally available mechanical energy\ninto electrical form by triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). This\nstudy explores the use of polycaprolactone (PCL) nanocomposites, enhanced\nwith molybdenum disulfide (MoS<sub>2</sub>) nanoparticles, in TENG\napplications. PCL’s biodegradability and versatility as both\na tribopositive and tribonegative material are leveraged, creating\na promising avenue for innovative TENG development. The research demonstrates\nthe fabrication of PCL-MoS<sub>2</sub> nanocomposites by using the\nelectrospinning method, yielding nanofibers with enhanced surface\nroughness, increased relative permittivity, and improved triboelectric\nperformance. The fabricated TENGs exhibited significant electrical\noutputs, achieving up to 127 V and 1.22 μA at 8 Hz, and a total\nof 82 green light emitting diodes (LEDs) in series were successfully\nlighted up. The potential of these types of TENGs was demonstrated\nfor the real-time monitoring and data collection of the traffic on\nthe roads and bridges leading to better management for improved road\ntravel safety. Further, a TENG was fabricated with the same polymer\n(PCL and PCL nanocomposite) as tribo layers and found applications\nin IoT-based self-powered pedometers. In conclusion, this work demonstrated\nthe potential of PCL-MoS<sub>2</sub> nanocomposites in self-powered\nsensing and energy harvesting applications by using them as tribo\nmaterials in TENGs.