Self-powered antibacterial systems in environmental purification, wound healing, and tactile sensing applications

In recent years, the development of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) has enabled the ability to harvest mechanical energy from human body motions, hence acting as an energy source to support antibacterial systems without an external power supply. In this review, we summarize some significant applications of TENGs in antimicrobial fields, including air disinfection systems, water treatment systems, wound healing systems, and wearable tactile sensors. We emphasize the factors that facilitate the disinfection function and briefly introduce antimicrobial electrode materials and TENG-based antimicrobial mechanisms. However, there are still many challenges for utilizing TENGs as self-powered antibacterial sources, including miniaturization, output performance, and duration. It is also vital to advance TENG technology with respect to electrical antibacterial principles. We provide perspectives on the challenges and potential solutions associated with the next generation of antibacterial self-powered systems. In the future, TENGs would act as highly prospective supplementary or even fungible power supply compared to conventional batteries for antibacterial electronics.