Triboelectric nanogenerator for healthcare and biomedical applications

[Display omitted] •A summarized view of the fundamentals of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is presented.•Promising applications in different biomedical and healthcare sectors are discussed in detail.•Future perspectives and challenges for the commercialization of TENG based healthcare devices are provided. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) can convert various types of mechanical energy into electricity via coupling of contact electrification and electrostatic induction. The wide range of materials, device designs, high output power are few of the TENG advantages. The human body and internal organ motions can serve as an excellent energy source for TENG based self-powered healthcare applications. This review highlights the past 7-year development in TENG based biomedical and healthcare devices. A summary of TENG applications, including drug delivery, neural prosthesis, cell modulation, circulatory system, microbial disinfection, gene transfection, hair regeneration, biodegradable electronics, is presented. However, miniaturization, long-term stability, encapsulation, and in-vivo performance are the challenges that need to be addressed before any clinical trials. In the future, overcoming the problems will make TENG as an alternative power source for the biomedical and healthcare applications.