A self-priming air filtration system based on triboelectric nanogenerator for active air purification

Air pollution is becoming more and more serious, which has a huge impact on human production and life. Dust particulate matter (PM) is one of the main pollutants in the air, threatening human life and health. In this work, a triboelectric air filtration system (TAFS) based on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) was developed for active removal of outdoor PM2.5 and harmful bacteria. The TAFS consists of a layer of industrial filter media (filter cotton or sponge) and a layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Due to frictional electrification effect of these two layers, the filtration efficiency of the low-efficiency and low-resistance filter material for particulate matter is greatly improved. The filtration efficiencies of PM1.0 and PM2.5 are increased by 20 %-40 %. Moreover, the frictional positive charge also greatly improves the interception efficiency of the material against Staphylococcus aureus. A self-priming air filtration system composed of an air pump and TENG are used to remove PM2.5 up to 99 % in a confined space filled with cigarettes for 30 min. In addition, the wind cup design makes the system take full advantage of the wind energy in the environment, realizing self-power supply, zero carbon emission and high efficiency and environmental protection. The self-powered TAFS can be used in outdoor dusty construction sites, dust factories, sand and haze weather and other places to remove particulate pollution. This work also provides a novel self-powered air purification strategy.