AccScience Publishing / JES / Volume 1 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.36922/JES025140002
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Influence of illumination on eco-friendly titanium dioxide/epoxy nanocomposite-based triboelectric nanogenerators

Prabhakar Yadav1 ,  Kuldeep Sahay1* ,  Arpit Verma2 ,  Bal Chandra Yadav2* ,  Yurii S. Bukichev3 ,  Gulzhian I. Dzhardimalieva3
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1 Department of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Engineering and Technology, A. P. J. Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
2 Nanomaterials and Sensors Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
3 Laboratory of Metallopolymers, Department of Polymers and Composite Materials, Federal Research Center of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow, Russia
JES 2025, 1(2), 025140002 https://doi.org/10.36922/JES025140002
Received: 5 April 2025 | Revised: 22 October 2025 | Accepted: 10 November 2025 | Published online: 30 December 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) based on titanium dioxide (TiO2)/epoxy nanocomposites have attracted increasing interest as self-powered systems capable of harvesting mechanical friction and light energy for sustainable electricity generation. In this study, a photoinduced TENG was developed using TiO2/epoxy nanocomposites with a polyethylene terephthalate charge collector. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses were conducted to evaluate the structural and morphological properties of the nanocomposite, revealing the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles with an anatase crystal structure. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy was employed to investigate the optical properties of the nanocomposite, identifying an optical band gap energy of 3.52 eV. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to determine chemical bonds and functional groups. Epoxy serves as the matrix material, binding the TiO2 nanoparticles and providing mechanical integrity to the composite film. It ensures uniform dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles and offers a flexible yet robust substrate essential for the repeated contact–separation cycles of TENG operation. The TiO2/epoxy nanocomposite, used as the electrode for the TENG device, was created by incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles into the epoxy resin. Without ultraviolet illumination, the TENG devices generated output voltages of 25, 45, 50, and 55 V at TiO2 concentrations of 0, 2, 3, and 4 wt%, respectively. Under ultraviolet illumination, the corresponding voltages increased to 65, 75, 77, and 80 V. The highest voltage of 80 V was obtained for the device containing 4 wt% TiO2. These findings provide valuable insights into the structural, morphological, optical, and chemical characteristics of the nanocomposite, supporting the development of effective and sustainable power sources.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Triboelectric nanogenerator
Photoinduced triboelectric nanogenerator
Titanium dioxide/epoxy nanocomposite
Solution blending technique
Power sources
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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