Biodegradable, conductive, moisture-proof, and dielectric enhanced cellulose-based triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered human-machine interface sensing

With the rapid development of sensors and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), multifunctional self-powered sensors have received extensive attention. In this study, we prepare cellulose carbon nanotubes aerogel TENG (CCA-TENG) with high output, moisture-proof, simplified structure, and biodegradability for ambient energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. The cellulose carbon nanotubes aerogel (CCA) can be used not only acts as a tribolayer, but also as an electrode, with the characteristics of a 3D porous structure, high specific surface area, and dielectric enhancement. CCA-TENG exhibits improved output performance due to the advantages of the enhanced dielectric constant and 3D porous structure. Since regenerated cellulose is a dense polymer, it still keeps high output performance under high humidity. More importantly, CCA-TENG can be rapidly degraded in cellulase, and the output performance of the CCA-TENG prepared from recycled CNTs reaches 91.04% output of the original TENG. This study demonstrates the preparation, degradation, and reuse of CCA-TENGs and their applications, providing new avenues for high-performance, moisture-proof, and ambient self-powered systems.