Enhanced Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on a Hybrid Cellulose Aerogel for Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Sensing

Abstract

A biocompatible and porous triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on bacterial cellulose (BC) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) aerogel was presented in this paper. Due to the higher surface roughness, lower surface potential, and highly porous structure, the output performance of the BC-TENG was significantly boosted. The output performances were more than 30 times greater than that of the pure BC aerogel and more than 4 times that of the nonporous sample with the same HEC content (80 wt %). When the BC/HEC aerogel is combined with wood panels, a self-powered smart door panel can be obtained, which can convert the mechanical energy from knocking and tapping into electrical energy to light up a commercial light-emitting diode (LED) lights or generate wireless electrical signals on the mobile phone screen to help the hearing-impaired people to know knocking at the door in time. Moreover, water was used as the sole dispersant and dissolution. The advantages of cellulose were retained to a great extent, so it can provide a new modification idea for a biobased TENG in the future. This work proposed a facial and environmentally friendly method to achieve a highly porous cellulose-based TENG with biocompatibility, low cost, and highly enhanced output performance.

High Performance Triboelectric Nanogenerators from Compostable Cellulose‐Biodegradable Poly(Butylene Succinate) Composites

“…There are an array of other pathways that can be studied to degrade polymers, particularly for cellulose‐based materials. [ 24–28,64 ] Critically for TENGs, the long cycle life (in this case 10 000 cycles) requires thermal and chemical stability of the polmyers in air. Thus to control the timeline of degradation (i.e., post‐use disposal), the use of compositing or other systems [ 64 ] that directly initiate degradation provide a promising pathway to a circular economy of TENGs.…”

“…[ 18 ] Thus, making a TENG from biodegradable and/or recyclable polymers is highly desirable to decrease environmental impact. Several types of biodegradable polymers have been explored for use in TENGs including polylactic acid (PLA), [ 19 ] poly[(R)−3‐hydroxybutyric acid] (PHB), [ 20 ] chitosan, [ 21 ] cellulose derivatives, [ 22–27 ] silk, [ 28 ] hyaluronic acid, [ 29 ] starch, [ 30 ] polycaprolactone, [ 30 ] wood, [ 31,32 ] and others. [ 33 ] For example, Hao et al.…”

Advanced Applications of Porous Materials in Triboelectric Nanogenerator Self-Powered Sensors

“…Due to the higher surface roughness, lower surface potential, and highly porous structure, the TENG output performance was significantly improved, being more than 30 times that of pure BC aerogels and more than 80 times that of pore-free samples with the same HEC content. When BC/HEC aerogels are combined with wood boards, self-powered smart door panels can be obtained, converting mechanical energy from knocks into electrical energy to illuminate commercial light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or generate wireless signals on smartphone screens, helping the hearing-impaired identify knocks promptly [ 14 ]. Wang et al dissolved microcrystalline cellulose in a pre-cooled NaOH/urea solution, added carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and crosslinking agents, cast it into hydrogels, and converted the hydrogels into regenerated cellulose carbon nanotube aerogels through washing and freeze-drying.…”

“…( d ) Design of sustainable and flexible 3D aerogel using used PET bottles [ 13 ]. ( e ) Hybrid cellulose aerogel-reinforced TENG for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing hybrid cellulose aerogel-reinforced TENG [ 14 ]. ( f ) Regenerated cellulose-based TENG for dancer’s step sensing [ 15 ].…”

Harnessing the Flexibility of Lightweight Cellulose Nanofiber Composite Aerogels for Superior Thermal Insulation and Fire Protection

“…Therefore, there is a scope to prepare flame-retardant, hydrophobic, and flexible CNF aerogels, which will have more practical applicability in day-to-day life. Numerous investigations have been undertaken to augment the robustness of cellulose aerogels, leveraging the considerable reactivity exhibited by cellulose. ,− Each individual unit of the cellulose chain is composed of three polar hydroxyl groups, which enables the potential for chemical modifications with cross-linkers facilitating the formation of stable structures, imparting hydrophobicity, flame retardancy, and flexibility. These properties are essential for real-time application and are less prevalent in pure CNF aerogels.…”