Materials Design and Energy Harvesting Using Biopolymer‐Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Sustainable Self‐Powered Electronics

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as an optimistic technology for scavenging ambient mechanical energy due to their simple architecture, and ability to operate under low‐frequency mechanical stimuli. Although, most high‐performance TENGs rely on petroleum‐derived synthetic polymers such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), which are non‐biodegradable and elevate environmental concerns. To address these issues, biopolymer‐based TENGs have gained attention as sustainable alternatives. Natural materials including cellulose, chitin, chitosan, collagen, silk fibroin, and bacterial cellulose provide more advantages such as renewability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and abundant functional groups that empower chemical modification and performance tuning. This review summarizes recent advances in biopolymer‐based TENGs, focusing on material design strategies, nanocomposite engineering, chemical modification methods, and structural optimization approaches. The triboelectric properties of various natural polymers and working mechanism are discussed, along with their integration into biomedical devices, wearable sensors, and self‐powered systems. Key challenges including limited triboelectric performance, mechanical durability, humidity sensitivity, and scalability are critically analysed.