On June 12, 2026, Zhou's team published a paper entitled " Emerging biomaterials for sustainable innovation: advancements in smart wearable devices and self-powered technologies " in Progress in Materials Science. Wei-Hung Chiang, Ye Zhou, Chi-Ching Kuo are the corresponding authors.

Bio-based nanogenerators have emerged as promising power sources for next-generation self-powered wearable and biomedical systems; however, existing reviews largely focus on material catalogs or device demonstrations, with limited integration of structure-property relationships and sustainability metrics. This review presents an integrated and materials-centric analysis of biodegradable nanogenerators, with emphasis on the interdependence between molecular structure, crystallinity, dielectric properties, surface chemistry, and device-level performance. Advanced fabrication strategies, including electrospinning, interface modulation, additive manufacturing, and bio-waste valorization, are evaluated in terms of both performance enhancement and scalability. Sustainability is treated as a core design criterion rather than an afterthought, with integrated discussions on degradation kinetics, recyclability, life-cycle assessment, carbon footprint, and green synthesis routes using biomass-derived precursors and low-energy processing. The applicability of these principles is illustrated across a wide range of multidisciplinary domains, including smart textiles, wearable sensing platforms, implantable and therapeutic biomedical systems, and emerging intelligent technologies. By bridging materials design, device engineering, and circular-economy considerations, this review establishes a unified structure-property-performance-sustainability roadmap, providing actionable guidelines for the rational development of high-performance, eco-conscious bio-based nanogenerators.

Original link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079642526000988