PVA-silk fibroin bio-based triboelectric nanogenerator

Despite being very promising technology for several devices, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) tend to explore expensive and complex microstructures. This study reports a novel and simple TENG based on the incorporation of silk fibroin in poly (vinyl alcohol) as a simple, low-cost, and easily integrated component for transparent and flexible devices, with output performance of voltage, current, and power density of 172 V, 8.5 μA and 1.304 W.m−2, respectively, and charging capacity of 320 nC per cycle of operation, making possible the light up 56 commercial LEDs and small electronic devices. Adequate control in the polarization degree and morphology of the device are some of the critical factors that improve the performance of the proposed TENG.