Multifunctional Electrospun Polycaprolactone-Based Nanocomposites for Triboelectric Applications: From Energy Harvesting to IoT-Based Traffic Management and Pedometer Systems

The pursuit of green and sustainable energy solutions has heightened interest in the conversion of naturally available mechanical energy into electrical form by triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). This study explores the use of polycaprolactone (PCL) nanocomposites, enhanced with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles, in TENG applications. PCL’s biodegradability and versatility as both a tribopositive and tribonegative material are leveraged, creating a promising avenue for innovative TENG development. The research demonstrates the fabrication of PCL-MoS2 nanocomposites by using the electrospinning method, yielding nanofibers with enhanced surface roughness, increased relative permittivity, and improved triboelectric performance. The fabricated TENGs exhibited significant electrical outputs, achieving up to 127 V and 1.22 μA at 8 Hz, and a total of 82 green light emitting diodes (LEDs) in series were successfully lighted up. The potential of these types of TENGs was demonstrated for the real-time monitoring and data collection of the traffic on the roads and bridges leading to better management for improved road travel safety. Further, a TENG was fabricated with the same polymer (PCL and PCL nanocomposite) as tribo layers and found applications in IoT-based self-powered pedometers. In conclusion, this work demonstrated the potential of PCL-MoS2 nanocomposites in self-powered sensing and energy harvesting applications by using them as tribo materials in TENGs.