Development of High-Efficiency Nanogenerator Using Human Body Triboelectricity

Professor Kim Hoejun's Research Team at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology 'Wearable Medical Devices and More Usable'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A nano-generator equipped with a metal-organic framework (MOF) that generates electricity using triboelectricity produced by the human body, which can be used in wearable medical devices and Internet of Things sensors, has been developed by a domestic research team.

The Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) announced that Professor Kim Hoe-jun’s robotics research team developed a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) equipped with MOF. The metal-organic framework developed using the eco-friendly material cyclodextrin can load various chemicals inside its framework, which is expected to have a significant impact on the production of new concept nanogenerators in the future.

Current major energy sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear fuels have various problems including resource depletion and environmental pollution. Therefore, there is growing interest in technologies that convert mechanical, thermal, and solar energy discarded in nature into electrical energy. Among them, piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy are promising technologies expected to be applied in various fields such as wearable medical devices, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and self-powered electronic systems.

They generate electrical energy based on triboelectric charging phenomena caused by surface contact and electrostatic induction phenomena. However, ceramic nano-composite materials used to improve the efficiency of existing TENGs have limitations as they are not environmentally friendly and unsuitable for biomedical applications.

The research team developed a high-efficiency triboelectric nanogenerator using a metal-organic framework made from cyclodextrin, a material widely used in drug delivery. Cyclodextrin is an eco-friendly material that is non-toxic enough to be edible and can be implanted in the human body.

Using three triboelectric nanogenerator plates made from cyclodextrin-based metal-organic frameworks, they fabricated a flexible Z-shaped nanogenerator by connecting them. When fixed to objects or body parts such as bags or shoes, the three nanogenerator plates flexibly fold against each other during movement, converting the generated frictional energy into electrical energy and storing it. The stored energy is sufficient to operate small electronic devices such as calculators and wristwatches, promising various future applications.

Professor Kim Hoe-jun said, “While researching tactile sensors for robotics, I became interested in piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators. We will continue research aiming to develop nanogenerators usable in daily life by improving devices suitable for actual application fields, not just developing generator devices.”

The research results were published online on the 19th of last month in the international journal Advanced Functional Materials and were selected as the cover paper for the journal issue scheduled for publication in July this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.