Post by Lei Jun Siau

🎉 I’m delighted to share that our recent work has been published in Smart Materials and Structures (IOP Publishing) — marking the perfect start to my third year of PhD studies! 📄 Title: Sustainable and High-Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerator using Water-Processable and Non-Toxic Arabic Gum-Graphite Composite Green Electrodes for enabling Circular Recyclability 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gJcPTnWE Our research addresses a growing environmental challenge driven by the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the associated rise in battery waste. To tackle this, we developed a fully sustainable and recyclable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that replaces conventional metal electrodes (like copper or aluminum) with an eco-friendly Arabic gum–graphite composite electrode. This innovative composite not only exhibits excellent mechanical and electrical properties but also enables easy recyclability — it can be disintegrated in water and reshaped into reusable electrodes without significant performance loss even after 10,000 cycles. 💡 Key Highlights: 🌍Achieves 100 V open-circuit voltage and 0.2 µA short-circuit current, nearly 20 times higher than copper electrodes 🌍Utilizes recycled paper and PVC as triboelectric layers for a fully green device 🌍Demonstrates real-world capability by powering microcontroller-based systems and low-power electronics This work paves the way toward sustainable, circular, and high-performance energy-harvesting devices for next-generation IoT applications. 🌍⚡ I’m deeply grateful to my supervisors, Dr. Jen-Hahn Low (Serge), Prof. Pei-Song CHEE, Prof. Eng-Hock Lim and co-author, Dr. Chun Hui TAN for their continuous guidance and support throughout this journey. #PhDLife #Research #Sustainability #Nanotechnology #EnergyHarvesting #Innovation #IOPPublishing #CircularEconomy #GreenTech