Functionalization of Cellulose based Materials for Energy Harvesting Application

The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an energy harvesting device that can convert mechanical energy into electricity using periodic friction between positively and negatively triboelectric materials. Currently, TENG have gained considerable attention as self-powering devices for various applications, such as sensors, wearable electronic, health monitoring devices, and energy platforms. This research focuses on chemical surface modification of cellulose-based material to obtain positive and negative triboelectric properties. Cotton fabric and wood were grafted with various silane functionalities, including fluoroalkyl silane, cyanoalkyl silane and aminoalkyl silane, their surface to change their surface tribopolarity. The morphology of modified cellulose-based materials was examined by SEM. The surface chemical functionalities of the modified cotton and wood were characterized using EDX, FTIR and XPS, respectively. The wettability was investigated using contact angle measurement. The SEM, EDX, FTIR and XPS results confirmed that cotton fabric and wood were successfully functionalized with fluoroalkyl silane, cyanoalkyl silane and aminoalkyl silane, respectively. Furthermore, the fluoroalkylsiloxane grafted cellulose material exhibits the highest contact angle 140^๐ demonstrating their water-repellant property, which can be beneficial for maintaining triboelectric charge on the surface. The performance of TENG devices using cellulose based materials is currently under in investigation.