Low cost, environmentally friendly and high-performance cellulose-based triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered human motion monitoring

Abstract

Cellulose-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can provide power for various monitoring devices and are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Chemical functional modification is a common method to improve the electrical output performance of cellulose-based TENGs. In this work, an environmentally friendly high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator based on polydopamine/cellulose nanofibrils (PDA/CNF) composite membrane and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) was developed. Dopamine generates polydopamine nanoparticles through oxidative self-polymerization and adheres to the surface of nanofibers. The synergistic effect of amino group introduction and membrane surface microstructure has effectively enhanced the output performance of TENG to a certain extent.The effects of contentration of PDA, thickness of CNF composite film and different working conditions on the electrical output were systematically investigated.The optimized PDA/CNF-TENG exhibited an enhanced electrical output performance with the voltage, current, and power density values of ≈ 205 V, ≈ 20 µA, and ≈ 56.25 µW·cm− 2, respectively. The PDA/CNF-TENG exhibited stable and identifiable signals when used as a self-powered sensor for human motion monitoring, showing the potential prospects of cellulose materials for TENG and other electronic applications.