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Upcycling waste mycelium into chitosan-based biodegradable triboelectric nanogenerators with enhanced energy output
Author(s)
Panpho, Phakakorn
Charoonsuk, Thitirat
Pakawanit, Phakkhananan
Bongkarn, Theerachai
Vitayakorn, Narathip
Sumang, Rattiphorn
Date Issued
December 1, 2026
Type
Article
Abstract
Sustainable nanogenerators require bio-based active layers that combine interfacial polarization, mechanical deformability, and stable charge generation. Herein, waste mushroom mycelium (WMM) was upcycled as a multifunctional biofiller in chitosan (CTS)-based films for piezoelectric/triboelectric energy-harvesting devices. By controlling WMM loading and glycerol plasticization, this study reveals a morphology–dielectric–compliance coupling mechanism governing device performance. FTIR, XRD, SEM, and X-ray tomographic analyses show that WMM modifies hydrogen bonding, chain packing, surface texture, and internal filler connectivity, while excessive loading causes aggregation and structural non-uniformity. The optimized 7 wt% WMM/CTS film produced a PENG-mode output of 1.87 V and 1.72 μA and a TENG output of 15.39 V and 2.54 μA. The output of the TENG was further improved to 20.35 V and 2.80 μA at a maximum power of about 44 μW with glycerol plasticization. Capacitor charging, cyclic operation, LED array illumination and seven-segment display were also shown with the optimized device. Notably, the highest low-frequency apparent permittivity was observed at 11 wt% WMM/CTS, but its output decreased because of aggregation, dielectric loss, and mechanical non-uniformity. These results demonstrate that optimum energy harvesting is governed not by dielectric permittivity alone but by balanced polar interfaces, surface asperity, moderate dielectric loss, and contact compliance. This work establishes waste mycelium as a functional biofiller for sustainable biopolymer active layers in low-power self-powered systems.
Citation
Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 249, 2026