Piezo/Triboelectric Nanogenerators: From Materials and Devices to Applications
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 192
Editor
2. School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: energy harvesting; nanogenerators; piezoelectrics; triboelectrics; scanning probe microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand, there is an increasing demand for autonomous, self-powered sensors and nodes. Although the piezoelectric effect has been known for nearly 150 years, the introduction of piezoelectric nanogenerators in 2006 and triboelectric nanogenerators in 2012 marked a decisive shift toward harvesting low-frequency, low-amplitude mechanical energy. Nanogenerators have since emerged as key enabling technologies, converting ubiquitous ambient mechanical energy into usable electrical power.
Current research in this area is focused on the development of high-efficiency, self-sustained power sources that integrate energy harvesting and sensing within a single platform. Optimisation of material polarisation, interfacial charge transfer, and device architectures has led to substantial improvements in power density, sensitivity, and operational stability for simultaneous energy harvesting and high-fidelity environmental or physiological monitoring.
Progress in piezoelectric materials has been strongly shaped by regulatory drivers, accelerating the development of lead-free alternatives such as organic–inorganic halobismuthates with high piezoelectric coefficients approaching those of conventional inorganic piezoelectrics. In parallel, advances in triboelectric nanogenerators have been enabled by trap-engineered polymers and high-polarity interfacial doping strategies, driving surface charge densities toward record levels. Despite these advances, the realisation of fully integrated, end-to-end self-powered systems remains a challenge, requiring genuinely multidisciplinary approaches spanning materials science, electronics, sensing, and system design.
This Special Issue of Materials invites original research articles, short communications, and review papers in this field. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Advanced materials development and surface/interface engineering for enhanced energy conversion.
- Theory, design, modelling, fabrication, and experimental characterisation of piezoelectric and triboelectric energy harvesting devices.
- Low-power and self-powered sensing architectures.
- Hybrid and multi-source harvesting approaches incorporating complementary transduction mechanisms.
- Application-driven device and system demonstrations, from wearable and flexible electronics to structural and environmental monitoring.
Dr. Navneet Soin
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- piezoelectric nanogenerators
- triboelectric nanogenerators
- energy harvesting
- lead-free materials
- self-powered sensors
- low-power devices
- interface and surface engineering
- multi-source harvesting
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