Zeolite-Decorated Triboelectric Sensors for Heavy Metal Contaminant Detection

Abstract

Environmental contamination by heavy metals has become a major health threat, exacerbated by rapid industrialization, thereby creating an urgent demand for highly efficient and sensitive detection devices. In this study, we introduce a highly sensitive triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) based on β-zeolite for multianalytic detection of heavy metal ions. β-Zeolite was spin-coated onto an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate, serving as the tribo-positive layer, while PDMS acted as the tribo-negative layer for self-powered triboelectric sensing signals. The fabricated triboelectric sensor was characterized by an open-circuit voltage of 18.3 V, short-circuit current of 306 nA, and a maximum power density of 602 nW cm^–2 at a resistance of 6 MΩ. Notably, the TENS demonstrated excellent sensitivity in detecting Cd²⁺ (0.3302 ppm^–1) and Hg²⁺ (0.216 ppm^–1) within a detection range of 0.01 to 50 ppm, as well as high selectivity for Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Pb²⁺ ions apart from alkali ions. This straightforward and cost-effective approach to fabricating highly sensitive and selective β-zeolite-based TENSs presents a promising pathway for advancing heavy metal-contaminant detection technologies.