A waterproof, breathable nitrocellulose-based triboelectric nanogenerator for human-machine interaction

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted significant attention as a promising method for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. In this study, we developed a waterproof, breathable nitrocellulose-based TENG for human-machine interaction. The optimal performance of modified nitrocellulose (NC) membrane was enhanced in waterproofness (water contact angle of 86.9°), breathability (water vapor transmission rate of 562.62 g/m2/d) and transparency (92%). To improve the output performance, silver nanowires (Ag NWs) were doped into the tribo-positive layer (NC) based on dielectric enhancement effect. The NC-based TENG doped with Ag NWs (NC-Ag NWs) demonstrated a 360% improvement in triboelectric performance compared to the unoptimized one. The instantaneous power density of NC-TENG can reach 0.38 W/m2. Furthermore, to comprehend the mechanism underlying this enhancement, an internal capacitance model of the NC-Ag NWs was developed. Combing the triboelectric performance and physical characteristics of NC-Ag NWs, we designed a self-powered single-electrode TENG (SNC-TENG) and a double-electrode TENG matrix keyboard to facilitate real-time communication with electronic devices. This work demonstrates a feasible and simple method to fabricate high-performance TENGs and shows its potential application in the fields of wearable devices and self-powered systems.