Fabrication of Biomaterial-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators: Study of the Relationship between Output Performance and Strain in Dielectric Materials

Electrolessnickel plating on an alkali-treated polylacticacid sheet toward a biomaterial-based triboelectric nanogeneratorelectrode is achieved successfully. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) collects thriftlessmechanicalenergy from the surrounding environment and transforms it into electricalenergy. This work demonstrated a feasible method for metallizing thepolylactic acid (PLA) surface, which was subsequently used as a biomaterial-basedTENG electrode material. We demonstrated that microcellular holesand hydrophilic groups (-C-OH and -COOH) were introducedon an alkali-treated PLA sheet surface, subsequently used to absorbPd(2+) by means of covalent bonds, which could serve as catalyticcenters for the reduction of Ni2+. Of note, the Ni-layerdeposition mechanism represents a typical island-like growth pattern.To be precise, a Ni-coated PLA sheet was fabricated successfully andused as a TENG electrode material. The device had excellent performances,with a maximum output voltage of about 5.1 V, obtained from 6% strain(the corresponding stress is 32.4 kPa) on the PDMS layer. Furthermore,it revealed that under a stress of 0.14-32.4 kPa and strainof 1.3-6%, a linear regression relation existed between theoutput voltage and the dielectric material strain, and it was foundthat the density of electrostatic charge formed on the TENG materialsurface is 4.1 x 10(6) C/m(2). Additionally,the as-fabricated TENG equipment was attached to various positionsof the human body and lab to demonstrate the electrical energy obtainedfrom the mechanical movement. It was also used for real-time demonstrationsas a self-powered body-tracking device application which may be beneficialin tracking human position counters during self-powered and emergencyexercise movements.