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This review examines self-powered nanogenerators that harvest biomechanical or environmental energy to replace external power sources in biomedical devices. It details mechanisms and material innovations across various applications, including regenerative hair growth, drug delivery patches, electronic skin, and wearable health monitors. The paper emphasizes the strategic integration of these technologies to enable sustainable, autonomous, and miniaturized healthcare systems.

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Abstract

Self-powered systems have emerged as transformative technologies that address the growing demand for sustainable, autonomous, and miniaturized energy solutions for next-generation biomedical devices. Unlike conventional sensors and therapeutic platforms that rely on external power sources or batteries, self-powered nanogeneratorsbased on piezoelectric, triboelectric, and hybrid nanogeneratorscan harvest biomechanical or environmental energy to enable continuous operation. This review highlights the basics of nanogenerator mechanisms and material innovations, extending to their strategic integration into advanced biomedical applications. Particular emphasis is placed on applications such as regenerative hair growth techniques using electrical stimulation, motion-triggered drug release patches that ensure precise and sustained delivery, biocompatible electronic skin (E-skin) for real-time physiological sensing, wearable devices for continuous health monitoring, sweat-resistant wearables, hearing aids, ligament strain and bladder sensors, respiration-driven monitors, smart eye sensors, and scaffolds for cardiovascular and bone tissue repair through bioelectric cues. By evaluating both the opportunities and challenges, including energy conversion efficiency, long-term biocompatibility, device stability, and large-scale fabrication, this review provides a balanced outlook on the future of self-powered biomedical systems. The insights presented herein not only underscore their clinical and technological relevance but also identify key research directions required to bridge the gap between laboratory prototypes and practical healthcare applications.

Key findings

  • Nanogenerators utilizing piezoelectric, triboelectric, and hybrid mechanisms can harvest energy from biomechanical movements and environmental sources for continuous device operation.
  • Key applications include regenerative hair growth via electrical stimulation, motion-triggered drug release, biocompatible electronic skin, and sensors for ligament strain, bladder activity, and respiration.
  • These systems offer sustainable, autonomous, and miniaturized energy solutions critical for next-generation biomedical devices without reliance on batteries.

Keywords

Wearable computerBridge (graph theory)Wearable technologyBiocompatible materialRegenerative medicineSystems engineering

Identifiers

DOI
10.1021/acsomega.5c08225
PubMed
41768675
Journal
ACS omega
Year
2026