There is a critical shortage in research needed to explore a new class of multifunctional structural components that respond to their environment, empower themselves and self-monitor their condition. Here, the novel concept of triboelectric nanogenerator-enabled structural elements (TENG-SEs) is proposed to build the foundation for the next generation civil infrastructure systems with intrinsic sensing and energy harvesting functionalities. In order to validate the proposed concept, proof-of-concept multifunctional composite rebars with built-in TENG mechanisms are developed. The developed prototypes function as structural reinforcements, nanogenerators, and distributed sensing mediums under external mechanical vibrations. Experiential and theoretical studies are performed to verify the electrical and mechanical performance of the developed self-powering and self-sensing composite structural components. The capability of the embedded structural elements to detect damage patterns in concrete beams at multiscale is demonstrated. Finally, it is discussed how this new class of TENG-SEs can revolutionize the large-scale distributed monitoring practices in civil infrastructure and construction fields.

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