A non-toxic triboelectric nanogenerator for baby care applications

Abstract

Children often face more dangers than adults because of their unsound awareness of self-protection. Ensuring that modern technology is child safe has become an important research field. Conventional household electricity is dangerous for babies due to its high voltage. Considering that babies like to bite, some common low-voltage energy sources, such as lithium-ion batteries, also present certain risks. Therefore, the development of non-toxic and harmless energy sources for children is urgently needed. Considering that children tend to be more active than adults, nanogenerators are ideal for such applications, due to their effective use of abundant mechanical energy, and they will not cause the risk of electric shock or poisoning by accidental swallowing. Herein, we report a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC-Na). The TENG can dissolve quickly when it encounters water, and it will not affect the environment after dissolution. We measured the electrical performance of the TENG with an effective area of 3 × 3 cm² under a frequency of 2 Hz. The output power of this TENG can reach 120 mW m⁻². Meanwhile, it contains no flavor, which avoids active consumption by children. It can continuously power electronic watches, temperature-hygrometers, and calculators. In addition, we confirmed the edibility of the TENG through feeding experiments. Even if a baby eats it by mistake, it will not affect the baby's health. The good infrared transmission effect allows this material to be used in baby diapers and other applications to dissipate heat and improve wearing comfort.