Piezoelectric Cellulose Nanofibers

This work presents an effective way of arranging and aligning cellulose chains and dipoles inside cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) to make nanocellulose based film effective for piezoelectric power generation. Electrical poling is used to induce the piezoelectricity in nanocellulose. The effect of different poling voltage and humidity condition has different effect in the cellulose nanofiber properties. Electrical, surface phase and morphology characterizations help to understand the effect of different condition on CNF thin film. Piezoelectric characterization was done for the films and optimized poling condition is found to get the best piezoelectric performance. Longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient is quantified and compared with fluoropolymer based commercial device.

These findings and understanding of cellulose nanofibers properties under different experimental condition will open new generation for low cost, environmentally friendly, bio-compatible, green piezoelectric polymers with the possibility for application in transducers, sensors, self-powered electronic devices, wearable devices for physiological signal monitoring and many more.