Cellulosic triboelectric materials for stable energy harvesting from hot and humid conditions

The efficient energy harvesting from the environment provides a sustainable solution to alleviate the growing global energy crisis. However, the development of energy harvesting is limited by the challenge of maintaining stability under harsh atmospheric conditions. In this study, a novel chitosan/di-aldehyde nanocrystalline cellulose bio-based triboelectric material (CDTM) was constructed by a combined process of casting and hot pressing and applied to energy harvesting under harsh atmospheric conditions such as high temperature and high humidity. Chitosan and di-aldehyde nanocellulose were tightly bound by the Schiff base reaction, which strengthened the internal binding of CDTM making it more stable. More importantly, the CDTM based triboelectric nanogenerators (CD-TENGs) had an open circuit voltage retention of five times higher than that of paper at 99 RH% and could still retain 98% at a high-temperature environment, demonstrating excellent resistance to environmental disturbances. In addition, the CD-TENG was used as a wireless sensing terminal for smart devices to enable wireless visual sensing for stress intensity feedback and motion state detection. This work provides a novel insight into the design and preparation of triboelectric materials that withstand harsh atmospheric conditions.