Wearable Triboelectric Nanogenerators Based on Chemical Modification of Conventional Textiles for Application in Electrically Driven Antibacterial Devices

Abstract

The energy harvesting provided by wearable triboelectric devices represents a promising procedure that circumvents typical drawbacks of conventional batteries in several applications. The development of wearable triboelectric generators with modified cotton in the presence of conductive and antibacterial agents can be considered an important step toward developing autonomous devices to be applied in electrically driven antibacterial treatments. The antibacterial properties of polypyrrole and its high conductivity were explored for the production of the induction layer of a single-electrode triboelectric generator that introduces advantages relative to direct contact with the skin, which is critical for the treatment of several infections. The open-circuit voltage in the order of 670 V and inhibition haloes in the order of 17 mm (against Staphylococcus aureus) confirm the multifunctional activity of the modified cotton that can be applied to the harvesting of energy and integrated into the inhibition of bacterial growth provided by polypyrrole-based systems.