Triboelectric nanogenerators and power-boards from cellulose nanofibrils and recycled materials

This paper reports the implementation of renewable, biodegradable, and abundant cellulose nanofibrils (CNEs) in triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) development. Flexible and transparent CNF thin films are triboelectric positive material with nanoscale surface roughness. They are paired with FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) to assemble TENG devices, which exhibit comparable performance to the reported TENG devices built on synthetic polymers. CNF-based TENG is further integrated within a fiberboard made from recycled cardboard fibers using a chemical-free cold pressing method. The fiberboard produces up to similar to 30 V and similar to 90 mu A electric outputs when subjected to a normal human step. This development shows great promises in creating large-scale and environmentally sustainable triboelectric board for flooring, packaging and supporting infrastructures from CNF and other natural wood-extracted materials.