posted on 2021-02-03, 08:30authored byLong Gu, Lazarus German, Tong Li, Jun Li, Yan Shao, Yin Long, Jingyu Wang, Xudong Wang
Cellulose-based
materials have gained increasing attention for
the development of low-cost, eco-friendly technologies, and more recently,
as functional materials in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). However,
the low output performance of cellulose-based TENGs severely restricts
their versatility and employment in emerging smart building and smart
city applications. Here, we report a high output performance of a
commercial cellulosic material-based energy harvesting floor (CEHF).
Benefiting from the significant difference in the triboelectric properties
between weighing and nitrocellulose papers, high surface roughness
achieved by a newly developed mechanical exfoliation method, and large
overall contact area via a multilayered device structure, the CEHF
(25 cm × 15 cm × 1.2 cm) exhibits excellent output performance
with a maximum output voltage, current, and power peak values of 360
V, 250 μA, and 5 mW, respectively. It can be directly installed
or integrated with regular flooring products to effectively convert
human body movements into electricity and shows good durability and
stability. Moreover, a wireless transmission sensing system that can
produce a 1:1 footstep-to-signal (transmitted and received) ratio
is instantaneously powered by a TENG based entirely on cellulosic
materials for the first time. This work provides a feasible and effective
way to utilize commercial cellulosic materials to construct self-powered
wireless transmission systems for real-time sensing applications.