Abstract
Solid-liquid triboelectrification is of paramount importance for a wide range of processes. In this study, we demonstrate that a small addition of nanoparticles into water significantly enhances contact electrification in both intrusion–extrusion and immersion–emersion processes. In particular, fullerenol nanoparticles were applied as an aqueous nanofluid to intrusion–extrusion triboelectric nanogenerators. The results demonstrated more than one order of magnitude increase in energy output during intrusion–extrusion using two nanoporous materials with distinct porosities, mesoporous silica WC8 and the microporous MOF ZIF-8. These results suggest that even a minor presence of solid particles in a liquid plays a significant role in the process of solid-liquid contact electrification. This paves the way for efficient solid-liquid triboelectric generators based on nanofluids instead of simple liquids.
Data availability
The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Zenodo repository, www.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17651928.
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Funding
This project has received financial support based on Decision No. 2021/43/D/ST5/00062 from the National Science Center (Poland). It also received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101017858 and was part of the grant RYC2021-032445-I funded by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. We also acknowledge the support of the Basque Government through the IT-1714-22 project.
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L.J.W.J. and M.Z.A. conducted experiments, analysed results, and wrote the manuscript. M.S. performed synthesis and characterisation. E.A. performed characterisation techniques and assisted with conceptualisation. G.A.L. and M.C. supervised. L.B. conducted experiments, wrote the manuscript, and analysed results. Y.G. supervised and conceptualised the work. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Johnson, L.J.W., Arkan, M.Z., Serda, M. et al. Enhancing contact electrification using nanofluids during liquid intrusion and extrusion in nanoporous materials. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38089-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38089-3
