Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) have emerged as a highly promising energy harvesting technology, attracting significant attention in recent years for their broad applications. Gel-based TENGs, with superior stretchability and sensitivity, have been widely reported as wearable sensors. However, the traditional hydrogel-based TENGs suffer from freezing at low temperatures and drying at high temperatures, resulting in malfunctions. In this study, we introduce an anti-freezing eutectogel, which uses a deep eutectic solvent (DES), to improve the stability and electrical conductivity of TENGs in harsh environmental conditions. The eutectogel-based TENG (E-TENG) produces an open-circuit voltage of 776 V, a short-circuit current of 1.54 µA, and a maximum peak power of 1.1 mW. Moreover, the E-TENG exhibits exceptional mechanical properties with an elongation at a break of 476% under tension. Importantly, it maintains impressive performances across a wide temperature range from −18 to 60 °C, with conductivities of 2.15 S/m at −10 °C and 1.75 S/m at −18 °C. Based on the excellent weight stability of the E-TENG sensor, motion sensing can be achieved in the air, and even underwater. Finally, the versatility of the E-TENG can serve as a wearable sensor, by integrating it with Bluetooth technology. The self-powered E-TENG can monitor various human motion signals in realtime and send the health signals directly to mobile phones. This research paves a new road for the applications of TENGs in harsh environments, offering wireless flexible sensors with real-time health signal monitoring capabilities.

The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) has subverted people’s lives, causing the rapid development of sensor technologies. However, traditional sensor energy sources, like batteries, suffer from the pollution problem and the limited lifetime for powering widely implemented electronics or sensors. Therefore, it is essential to obtain self-powered sensors integrated with renewable energy harvesters. The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which can convert the surrounding mechanical energy into electrical energy based on the surface triboelectrification effect, was born of this background. This paper systematically introduces the working principle of the TENG-based self-powered sensor, including the triboelectrification effect, Maxwell’s displacement current, and quantitative analysis method. Meanwhile, this paper also reviews the recent application of TENG in different fields and summarizes the future development and current problems of TENG. We believe that there will be a rise of TENG-based self-powered sensors in the future.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has attracted growing attention as an emerging and sustainable technology for wastewater purification and desalination. Tremendous research efforts have been dedicated to developing interfacial steam generators that can operate under realistic weather conditions such as changing solar intensity, water salinity, air flow and humidity, yet the effects of water waves have been largely neglected. Herein, we develop the first ever tumbler-shaped steam generator to improve the floating stability of interfacial steam generators. Apart from the good water evaporation rate of ∼1.3 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ under one sun in both freshwater and seawater, the tumbler-shaped monolithic steam generator demonstrates outstanding wave-piercing, anti-overturning and self-righting behavior with good structural durability in typical waves of open water. Gratifyingly, further integration of the tumbler-shaped steam generator with a triboelectric nanogenerator enables detection of several water wave parameters (frequency, height, velocity and wavelength) in real-time with high sensitivity. This work provides design protocols not only for developing stable interfacial steam generators for solar-driven water purification and desalination, but also for scaling-up clean water production in open water and engineering self-powered water wave detection, forecast, and blue energy harvest systems.