Vertically aligned cyclo-phenylalanine peptide nanowire-based high-performance triboelectric energy generator

Abstract Biocompatible materials are expected to play important roles in biomedical applications. In particular, dipeptide nanostructures have attracted considerable attention because of their biocompatibility, functional molecular recognition, and unique biological and electronic properties. Nevertheless, a lack of mass production and facile fabrication of the stable peptide nanostructure array is one of the major hurdles holding back the practical applications. This study developed a simple and wafer-scale process to produce a cyclo-diphenylalanine (Cyclo-FF) nanowire array via a thermal evaporation process and fabricated Cyclo-FF-based triboelectric energy generators (TEG) with high performance. This approach allowed control of the dimensions of the Cyclo-FF nanowires and the preparation of stable peptide nanostructures under ambient conditions and moisture. The Cyclo-FF nanowires were employed as triboelectric materials for biocompatible nanogenerators, which exhibited high-performance power outputs for future applications. The voltage and current output reached ~ 350 V and ~ 10 μA, respectively, with a surface treatment, which was sufficient to light up over a hundred LEDs. Even after dipping Cyclo-FF nanowires in water or TBS buffer solution, it still worked as a TEG material with minor degradation. This method is compatible for the synthesis of bionanomaterials over a large area, and thus can be a powerful strategy to fabricate high-performance biocompatible energy devices for a range of practical applications in the future.