Sustainable robust waste-recycled ocean water-resistant fly ash-carbon nanotube nanocomposite-based triboelectric nanogenerator

Abstract

In the present study, for the first time, we have successfully converted waste materials into a novel, sustainable, robust, ocean water-resistant, and thermal-resistant high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator device using fly ash waste and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to scavenge mechanical energy. The CNT-reinforced robust triboelectric nanogenerator (RTNG) generates an output voltage of the 230 V under a vertical pressure of 5 kgf, whereas RTNG based on pristine fly ash exhibited an output voltage of 90 V under the same conditions. The significant increase in the output voltage and current is due to increased friction achieved by incorporating the CNT structure into the fly ash composites. The CNT-reinforced RTNG device exhibits high dielectric constant of 33, low thermal conductivity (0.5503 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹), very high mechanical strength (tensile) of 20 MPa, and high impact strength of 1730 J m⁻², and the device shows ultra-low ocean water absorption of −0.30% and stable output performance even after immersion in ocean water with high anticorrosion property, confirming the robustness of the device. The RTNG also exhibits stable output voltage even up to 2000 cycles under high mechanical pressure.