Waste-to-Wealth Engineering of Sugarcane Bagasse-Derived Carbon/Porous PDMS Composites for Efficient Triboelectric...

Sustainable material design for high-performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is crucial for advancing self-powered systems. In this study, agro-waste sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is transformed into a functional carbonaceous filler via a simple hydrothermal process and integrated with porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to engineer an efficient hybrid triboelectric interface. The strategy offers an economically viable and environmentally benign fabrication route with potential for scale-up, highlighting a practical waste-to-wealth approach for value-added energy materials. The incorporation of alkali-treated sugarcane bagasse-derived carbon significantly enhanced the dielectric characteristics of the porous PDMS, increasing the dielectric constant from 5.2 to 7.7 and modifying the surface morphology and heterogeneous carbon-PDMS interfacial environment. The enhanced dielectric response, together with the modified surface and interfacial characteristics, contributes to the improved triboelectric performance of the composite. The optimized device delivers an output of 121.6 V, 8.8 μA, and 42.8 nC, along with a peak power density of 804 mW m-2, significantly outperforming pristine PDMS. Alkali activation further modifies the carbon structure and accessible pore characteristics, providing additional enhancement of the composite dielectric and triboelectric response. Beyond energy harvesting, the optimized device demonstrates the capability to operate as a self-powered impact sensor capable of detecting external vibrations in mechanical systems, highlighting its potential in energy conversion and sensing. This work presents a facile and sustainable pathway for developing high-performance biomass-derived triboelectric materials.