Lightweight and Strong Cellulosic Triboelectric Materials Enabled by Cell Wall Nanoengineering

Nano Lett. 2024 Mar 13;24(10):3273-3281. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00458. Epub 2024 Mar 1.

Abstract

As intelligent technology surges forward, wearable electronics have emerged as versatile tools for monitoring health and sensing our surroundings. Among these advancements, porous triboelectric materials have garnered significant attention for their lightness. However, these materials face the challenge of improving structural stability to further enhance the sensing accuracy of triboelectric sensors. In this study, a lightweight and strong porous cellulosic triboelectric material is designed by cell wall nanoengineering. By tailoring of the cell wall structure, the material shows a high mechanical strength of 51.8 MPa. The self-powered sensor constructed by this material has a high sensitivity of 33.61 kPa-1, a fast response time of 36 ms, and excellent pressure detection durability. Notably, the sensor still enables a high sensing performance after the porous cellulosic triboelectric material exposure to 200 °C and achieves real-time feedback of human motion, thereby demonstrating great potential in the field of wearable electronic devices.

Keywords: cellulose; cellulosic triboelectric material; energy harvesting; self-powered sensor; triboelectric nanogenerator.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Wall*
  • Electronics
  • Humans
  • Motion
  • Porosity
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*