High-Performance Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Environmentally Friendly, Low-Cost Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose for Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Sensing

The urgent need to address energy consumption and environmental
issues has triggered a strong interest in triboelectric nanogenerators
(TENGs), and thus, the exploration of novel materials with environmentally
friendly characteristics and low cost for the preparation of high-output
TENGs has shown great attraction. Herein, we proposed a method to
increase the electron-donating ability of sodium carboxymethylcellulose
(CMC) by adding polyethyleneimine (PEI) to CMC through simple physical
mixing. By systematically adjusting and optimizing the CMC concentration
and its content with PEI, it not only greatly improves the tribopositive
performance of CMC but also makes the prepared film have excellent
flexibility. The obtained CMC/PEI-TENG open-circuit voltage and short-circuit
current can reach 385 V and 51 μA, respectively, with a maximum
output power density of 1.056 mW/cm2, which can easily
power 320 commercial LEDs. Moreover, the triboelectric output is improved
by approximately 1.7 times compared to that of pure phase CMC film-based
TENG. In addition, the new TENG shows great potential as a self-powered
power source and sensor. The novel CMC-based composite film TENG proposed
in this study provides a new idea for the development of environmentally
friendly TENGs.