Carbon nanotubes doped cellulose nanocomposite film for high current flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators

Cellulose is a highly abundant biomass resource and can be used as raw material for green electronics. The carbon nanotubes (CNTs) doped cellulose-based nanocomposite film (CNTs/Cellulose) was prepared in this paper. The cellulose in CNTs/Cellulose belongs to the type I crystal form. The CNTs are filled in the fiber network and covered on the cellulose fiber surface. The maximum thermal degradation temperature of CNTs/Cellulose is 142 °C higher than that of cellulose. A flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) with a high current of milliampere level was made from CNTs/Cellulose. The PENG shows an output current of 6.19 mA and a current density of 1.55 mA/cm2. Furthermore, the PENG can successfully drive electronic devices such as LED lights, electronic watches and calculators under its own gravity without applying additional force. This work provides a new idea for the development of novel PENG.