Anamika Barua, Ferdousi Mayoa, Kamaruzzaman, Md Monjarul Alam, S M Sohel Rana
The growing demand for sustainable and autonomous power solutions highlights triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) as promising candidates for energy harvesting and wearable sensing applications. Conventional TENGs, despite their effectiveness, use synthetic materials that generate e-waste and hinder skin-contact integration. Herein, we develop a sustainable strategy by fabricating a bioplastic-based TENG using radish (Raphanus sativus)- and turnip (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa)-derived bioplastics as the negative triboelectric layer in each TENG, while human skin serves as the positive triboelectric counterpart. These bioplastics feature bioactive constituents, such as d-glucose and polysaccharides, which provide excellent triboelectric performance, combined with biodegradability and flexibility, making them suitable for wearable positioning applications. Compared with the turnip-based TENG (T-TENG), the experimental findings reveal that the radish-based TENG (R-TENG) exhibited slightly enhanced performance, obtaining a maximum peak-to-peak voltage of ∼344 V along with a sensitivity of ∼15.28 V kPa-1 and a power density of ∼26.01 W m-2 under hand-tapping operation, capable of lighting up 62 LEDs instantly. To validate practicality, an insole prototype effectively captured biomechanical energy during walking and running, generating distinct electrical signals corresponding to gait phases and pressure distribution, while a stress-relief ball-type R-TENG effectively sensed finger and grip variations, highlighting its tactile rehabilitation utility as a proof of concept. This study advances eco-friendly material development for efficient next-generation sustainable wearable TENGs.