Natural\nBiopolymer-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators via Fast, Facile, Scalable\nSolution Blowing

Abstract

Here, we fabricated nanofiber (NF)-based\ntriboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) from natural biopolymers using\nthe industrially scalable solution blowing. This technique eliminates\nsevere restrictions on solutions to be used and allows one to achieve\nbiocompatible devices. Here, solutions of soy protein and lignin were\nblown into continuous monolithic NFs of hundreds of nanometers in\ndiameter. The technique we employed yields large-area NF mats within\ntens of minutes and has never been employed to form TENGs. Furthermore,\nin contrast to electrospun and meltblown fiber mats, solution-blown\nNF mats are much fluffier/porous, which is beneficial for achieving\nhigher voltages by means of triboelectricity. In particular, triboelectricity\ngenerated by our biopolymer-based TENGs revealed that they hold great\npromise as sustainable and environmentally friendly self-powered devices\nfor biomedical applications with the highest efficiency in their class.\nMoreover, these are the first nanotextured plant-derived biopolymer-made\nTENGs.