Triboelectric-induced self-powered electrostatic and antibacterial filtration system for improving indoor air quality

We present an electrospun triboelectric membrane pair comprising both tribonegative PVDF/BaTiO 3 and tribopositive PCL/kraft lignin/tannic acid membranes. The incorporated BaTiO 3 induces a conformational transition of PVDF from non-polar ( TGTG ′) to polar β-phase ( TTTT ), aligning –CF 2 groups and strengthening negative surface potential. The PCL-based ternary composite possesses abundant electron-donating hydroxyl groups that elevate tribopositive properties and improve mechanical robustness via hydrogen-bond networks within the polymeric interconnections. In addition, tannic acid with multivalent galloyl- and phenolic groups successfully retained its inherent antibacterial effect against both Gram-positive ( S. aureus ) and -negative ( E. coli ) bacterial species, even embedded within the ternary polymer complex. As a result, under a 10 Hz contact-to-separation condition, the developed pair generates 146 V, which is 12.4-fold higher than the non-additive PCL–PVDF pair. Consistently, it demonstrated triboelectric-enhanced filtration performance across various sizes of particulate matter (PM), achieving a PM2.5 removal efficiency of 99.83 % with the corresponding quality factor of 0.11. This performance remained sustainable even after rinsing the adsorbed pollutants from the tribonegative membrane, resulting in only a slight decrease and maintaining a sufficient removal efficiency of 97.69 % for fine 0.3 μm PM, compared to 98.99 % for the pristine membrane. By integrating such mechanical robustness, antibacterial action, strong triboelectric properties, and reusability, this membrane platform offers a practical pathway for effective indoor air quality management. • Multistage filter designed for selective removal of indoor air pollutants • The filter layers act as triboelectric pair under flow-induced aeolian vibrations. • An excellent removal of 0.3 μm PM with 98.99 % efficiency has been developed. • Antibacterial effects against S. aureus and E. coli have been confirmed.