A circular and scalable all-fibre triboelectric nanogenerator based on electrospun biodegradable materials

• All electrospun fibre based TENGs including electrode and active layers. • The fibrous electrodes demonstrated superior performance compared to metal counterparts. • All fibre biodegradable material based TENG produced an output of 45 V and 4.5 μA. • A recycling strategy to utilise the device materials after end-of-life is demonstrated. The growing concerns arising from e-waste and the demand in self-powered wearables highlight the need for sustainable, scalable and self-reliant power sources. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are mechanical energy converters that are preferred for powering wearable electronics and other self-powered applications. However, most TENGs utilise plastic materials as a substrate or metal electrodes, contributing to environmental pollution and metal scarcity. Herein, a truly all-electrospun fibre-based TENG (named as BR-TENG) comprised of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)-based electrospun fibres as electrodes and cellulose acetate (CA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) electrospun fibres as the active layers is proposed. The fibre-based electrodes exhibit superior performance over the metal electrodes. The performance of the BR-TENG with PHBV and CA as active layers generated an output voltage of 45 V and current of 4.5 μΑ at 8 N. The device exhibited excellent stability for >40,000 cycles with no significant change in performance. A post-lifespan reuse study showed that the device layers remain sustainable and reusable without significant changes in their properties. Further, to validate the eco-friendly nature of the device, a soil burial test of the device was conducted. This work advances green electronics by demonstrating a truly all fibre TENG with ability to reuse the active layers and electrodes after end-of-life cycle.