Wireless Alerts and Data Monitoring from BNNO‐MWCNTs/PDMS Composite Film‐Based TENG Integrated Inhaler for Smart Healthcare Application

Abstract

In recent years, the implementation of energy‐harvesting technology in medical equipment has attracted significant interest owing to its potential for self‐powered and smart healthcare systems. Herein, the integration of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is proposed into an inhaler for energy‐harvesting and smart inhalation monitoring. For this initially, barium sodium niobium oxide (Ba2NaNb5O15) microparticles (BNNO MPs) are synthesized via a facile solid‐state synthesis process. The BNNO MPs with ferroelectricity and high dielectric constant are incorporated into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer to make BNNO/PDMS composite films (CFs) for TENG fabrication. The fabricated TENG is operated in a contact‐separation mode, and its electrical output performance is compared to establish the optimal BNNO MPs concentration. Furthermore, multi‐wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), a conductive filler material, are used to enhance the electrical conductivity of the CFs, thereby improving the electrical output performance of the TENG. The robustness/durability of the proposed BNNO‐MWCNTs/PDMS CF‐based TENG are investigated. The proposed TENG device is demonstrated to harvest electrical energy from mechanical motions via regular human activities and power portable electronics. The TENG is integrated into the inhaler casing to count the number of sprays remaining in the canister, send the notification to a smartphone via Bluetooth, and harvest energy.