Surface Treatment of PDMS Triboelectric Composite Materials and Their Application in the De-Inking of Waste Paper

The increasing prominence of energy shortages and environmental issues has encouraged research on low-carbon, clean, and sustainable energy technologies. In the fields of sensing, motion monitoring, and energy harvesting, self-powered electronic devices are developing rapidly, posing more severe challenges for triboelectric materials. In this study, polyaniline-modified cellulose was prepared via in situ polymerization and combined with biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane to create a triboelectric material with enhanced strength and conductivity. After being treated with 500-mesh sandpaper, the material exhibited the best electrical output performance, with a voltage of 206.8 V, a current of 10.1 μA, and a charge of 50.44 nC. The triboelectric nanogenerator made from this material was integrated with the deinking of old mechanical-pulp waste paper. The deinking effects under different conditions were investigated, and the deinking principle was explored from the perspective of the ink itself.