Biomaterials-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability have attracted tremendous attention for wearable electronic devices, human–computer interaction, and implantable devices. How to improve their output performance through a simple method is still a challenge. In this work, we prepared a flexible, low-cost, green, and high-performance TENG (SA-TENG) assembled by a modified sodium alginate (SA) film. The SA was first modified by simply doping branched polyethylenimine (PEI), which has a high density of amino functional groups to boost its electron-donating ability. Then, the film surface was patterned with a microstructure by using sandpaper templates to enhance the effective contact area. With the combination of the two performance enhancement methods, the optimized SA-TENG has an open-circuit voltage of up to 490 V, a short-circuit current of 33 μA, a charge of 255 nC, and a peak power of 2.55 mW. The prepared device can be employed as an energy source to light LEDs and power electronic devices. In addition, the device can be applied as a self-powered wearable sensor for tactile sensing and physical motion monitoring. This work provides an efficient and simple method for enhancing the triboelectric properties of biomaterials for advanced energy applications.
Liu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.