Highly compact inertia-driven triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered wireless CO2 monitoring via fine-vibration harvesting

Abstract

Effective CO₂ monitoring is essential for environmental, social, and corporate governance. The European Union has also begun to regulate CO₂ emissions from factories to ensure a sustainable future. Among CO₂ measurement systems, indoor, self-powered, wireless CO₂ monitoring platforms that harvest environmental mechanical energy offer a promising solution. These systems can be seamlessly integrated into existing infrastructure, facilitating sustainable, real-time monitoring and management. The work presented here shows that inertia-driven triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) offer a real-time, battery-free solution to monitor CO₂ levels in buildings using fine vibrations that can occur in pipelines. A resonant vibration structure with multi-stacked TENGs enhances fine vibration and enables a highly compact energy harvester. Surface-treated and multi-arrayed TENGs generate root-mean-square power of 0.5 mW at a vibration frequency of 13 Hz. By incorporating a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) system-on-a-chip (SoC) for energy-efficient data transmission, the system periodically monitors CO₂ concentrations, ensuring TENG-driven operation and mitigating environmental and health risks. These findings contribute to global sustainability goals by providing a scalable solution for environmental monitoring challenges.