Channel Microenvironment-Controlled Pillared MOF as Efficient Triboelectric Nanogenerator Material for Self-Powered Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Abstract

The development of metal–organic framework triboelectric materials is crucial for applying nanomaterials to new energy conversion technologies. This work utilized the SC-SC ligand substitution method to regulate the 3D MOF pore channel environment, thereby generating a hierarchical framework structure composed of bridging ligands with different conjugation levels. The triboelectric generation experimental results showed that ZUT-10-bpe has excellent output capabilities with a short-circuit current of 116.14 μA and a power density of 4531.52 mW m⁻², respectively. The density functional theory results indicated that ZUT-10-bpe has the smallest HOMO-LUMO band gap and the highest HOMO energy level. The combined density of states calculation and multiphysics field simulation confirmed that introducing organic ligands with π conjugation systems and adjusting the degree of planar conjugation can significantly enhance electron generation and improve electron transfer, thereby significantly improving the triboelectric activity. Additionally, the self-powered pollution degradation experiment demonstrated that ZUT-10-bpe@TENG has a degradation efficiency of over 96% for various organic dyes within 90 min. This research provides a new perspective for MOF-based TENG in water pollution treatment.

Keywords

metal–organic framework / SALE / SC-SC / self-powered degradation / TENG

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2026 The Author(s). Energy & Environmental Materials published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Zhengzhou University.