Lightweight and Mechanically Robust Cellulosic Triboelectric Materials for Wearable Self-Powered Rehabilitation Training
Chenchen Cai, Tao Liu, Xiangjiang Meng, Bin Luo, Mingchao Chi, Jinlong Wang, Yanhua Liu, Song Zhang, Cong Gao, Yayu Bai, Shuangfei Wang, Shuangxi Nie
Abstract
Lightweight and robust self-powered wearable devices are of great importance in rehabilitation and medical assistance, but this places greater demands on the development of functional materials. In particular, a balance between reducing the weight of materials and enhancing their mechanical performance is urgently needed. Here, this study reports a design strategy based on a cross-scale strengthening mechanism, which endows triboelectric materials with mechanically robust properties, and can withstand more than 16,600 times its weight without any deformation. A biomimetic ordered network structure with "wall-septum" is obtained by using the directional ice templating method, followed by the formation of more hydrogen bonds between polymer molecular chains promoted by salting-out. The resultant triboelectric material exhibits a Young's modulus of 130.3 MPa, and a specific modulus of 409.0 kN m/kg. Triboelectric materials are used to construct highly robust triboelectric nanogenerators that are stable even under an impact of 735.5 kPa. The accurate acquisition of a human motion state signal in the process of rehabilitation training is realized. This study provides a universal strategy for the development of lightweight and robust triboelectric material and provides a solution for the application of self-powered wearable devices in rehabilitation training.