Chittibabu, Suresh KumarSuresh KumarChittibabuVijayababu, MullapudiMullapudiVijayababuNatarajan, KarthickKarthickNatarajanSharma, NimmiNimmiSharmaChandrasekhar, ArunkumarArunkumarChandrasekharChintagumpala, KrishnamoorthiKrishnamoorthiChintagumpalaZONG-HONG LIN2026-04-212026-04-212026-04-0113858947https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105032367281&origin=resultslisthttps://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/737384Real-time surveillance of perishable food quality throughout storage, retail management, and domestic distribution is essential to avert foodborne threats and assure customer safety. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) as a self-powered sensor is an avant-garde sensing strategy for the precise assessment of the freshness of perishable foods without reliance on any auxiliary power source. Herein, a novel Ti2C MXene was synthesized and embedded in a PDMS matrix as a nanocomposite (honeycomb patterned), exhibiting superior negative triboelectric characteristics. The proposed TENG operates in vertical contact between the circular conductor (Al) and dielectric (Ti2CTx MXene/PDMS) mode (CCD-TENG) with a spring-assisted design, ensuring architectural simplicity and mechanical reliability. Under multiple low frequencies of mechanical excitation (1–2 Hz), the CCD-TENG's electrical characterization was extensively validated, demonstrating a maximum open-circuit voltage of 105 V, a short-circuit current of 6.78 μA, and a peak power density of 15.01 μW/cm2, confirming its superior triboelectric charge transfer efficiency. This CCD-TENG is implemented as a self-powered intelligent sensor for assessing the freshness of perishable foods (mango, fish, spinach) in a hermetically sealed chamber under high humidity and ambient temperature. This self-powered intelligent CCD-TENG heralds a new direction for autonomous and sustainable food quality monitoring in domestic transportation and packaging.false3D honeycomb patternEco-conscious energy harvestingIntelligent sensorPerishable food freshnessTi2C MXeneTriboelectric nanogeneratorjournal article10.1016/j.cej.2026.1749612-s2.0-105032367281