High-performance nanogenerators based on flexible cellulose nanofibril/MoS2 nanosheet composite piezoelectric films for energy harvesting

Abstract High-performance and environment-friendly biomass-based piezoelectric films have drawn much attention recently. Here, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (TOCN)/molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheet bionanocomposite piezoelectric films were prepared through an environmentally benign pathway by aqueous dispersion. The TOCN/MoS2 nanocomposite films exhibited good mechanical properties with the highest Young’s modulus of 8.2 GPa and tensile strength of 307 MPa. When the MoS2 content was 4 wt.%, the longitudinal piezoelectric constant (d33) of the composite film reached a maximum value of 31 pC/N, much higher than 12 pC/N of the neat TOCN film and other reported cellulose-based piezoelectric films. Moreover, nanogenerators fabricated from TOCN/MoS2 composite films exhibited a maximum output voltage of 4.1 V and a short-circuit current of 0.21 μA. Furthermore, the current generated by the nanogenerator was rectified and converted to direct current. A 10 μF commercial capacitor was charged to 1.6 V at 120 s, indicating the ability to collect mechanical energy generated in the natural environment. Therefore, the TOCN/MoS2 composite films are promising in the field of piezoelectric materials and nanogenerators.