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Updated: Aug 16, 2025

Experimental Methods of Dust Charging and Mobilization on Surfaces with Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation or Plasmas
Published on: April 3, 2018
Self-Powered Fine Dust Filtration Using Triboelectrification-Induced Electric Field
Young-Jun Kim1, Hyoung Taek Kim1, Jeong Hwan Lee1
1School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Particulate matter (PM) in the environment can adversely affect the health of living things. However, high removal efficiency and low-pressure loss are crucial design challenges for any air filtration system. To circumvent the challenge, here, we demonstrate a novel triboelectric (TE) air filtration system that is based on a rotation-type triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and a filter comprising two sets of plates: primary and secondary, that are placed in the airflow channel. When the TENG charges the two plate sets with opposite charges, the flowing air particles are charged at the primary plates and are collected, due to an electric field, at the secondary plates. The TE filter has demonstrated a PM2.5 removal efficiency of ~ 99.97% for the fine dust particles, and it remains stable even after several washing cycles. The pressure loss is almost two orders less than the high-efficiency particulate air filter. Since the airflow itself can drive the TENG, the TE filter can potentially be integrated with any air conditioning system for fine dust filtration in offices, automobiles, etc.
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