Dielectric Modulated Cellulose Paper/PDMS-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Wireless Transmission and Electropolymerization Applications

Achieving high output performance is the key in the development of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) for future versatile applications. In this study, a novel TENG assembled with porous cellulose paper and polydimethylsiloxane is demonstrated. Through dielectric modulation of the friction materials by the nanoparticles (i.e., BaTiO3, Ag), the triboelectric outputs increase significantly with the permittivity increase, which is attributed to the enhancement of the charge trapping capability and the surface charge density of the friction materials. The dielectric modulated TENG demonstrates a high output voltage of 88 V and a current of 8.3 mu A, corresponding to an output power of 141 mu W. Acting as a sensor unit, the TENG can successfully operate in a wireless transmission system, which can remotely monitor the machine operation and deliver the messages associated with finger movements. Moreover, the TENG can also perform as an efficient power source in an electropolymerization system for electropolymerizing polyaniline on a carbon nanotube electrode, holding a great potential to synthesize a high capacitance electrode for supercapacitors. This work provides a simple and efficient way to construct high performance TENGs and promotes their practical applications in the fields of wireless transmission and electropolymerization systems.