Introduction of Triboelectric Positive Bioplastic for Powering Portable Electronics and Self-Powered Gait Sensor

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are in the center of alternative energy scavenger technologies because of numerous possible applications in remote energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. Although there exists a large number of triboelectric negative polymers, the choice of triboelectric positive polymers is indeed limited. Here we report for the first time the use of thermoplastic starch (TPS) as a triboelectric positive material for designing TENGs. Our bioplastic-based highly durable TENG (b-TENG) can generate open-circuit peak-to-peak output voltage of ∼560 V with output current density of ∼120 mA m–2 and instantaneous output power density of 17 W m–2. We demonstrate b-TENG as a portable power source by powering more than 100 commercial blue LEDs, LED strips, and seven segment LCD screens. Additionally, the b-TENG can be used as a self-powered pedometer for step counter, a speedometer for human walking and running, and a human gait analysis sensor to assess physical activity breeding its futuristic biomedical applications for healthcare purposes. The introduction of eco-friendly bioplastic TPS as a triboelectric positive component has great potential for biomedical applications because of the abundance, biodegradability, low cost, and ease in fabrication process.