Cellulose as a Template‐Assisted Self‐Assembly of Sugar Naphthalimide: Fabrication of Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Hydrogen Generation

Abstract In this study, a series of diglycosyl naphthalimides (DGN) are synthesized via eco‐friendly chemical processes, without needing protection and deprotection strategies and complicated purification. The DGN molecules are assembled onto the polysaccharide (Cellulose) of cotton fabric, via template‐assisted self‐assembly (TASA), creating a flexible diglycosyl naphthalimide cotton fabric (DGNCF). The TASA process is comprehensively studied using SEM, ATR‐FTIR, SAXRD, UV–vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy, leading to the proposal of a feasible assembly mechanism. The material shows significant potential as a dielectric layer for triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Using polysaccharide‐derived DGNCF paired as an electron donor with fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) as an electron acceptor, a highly efficient TENG is developed, achieving a remarkable output voltage of 364 V, a current of 113 µA, and a power density of 19.4 W m − 2 , outperforming TENGs constructed from amorphous DGN. Additionally, a self‐powered electrochemical system (SPECS) is established for hydrogen production, utilizing the fabricated TENG as a power source in an electrolyte solution of 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 . The TENGs convert mechanical energy into electricity, which energizes the electrochemical process for hydrogen generation. After fine‐tuning power management and electrochemical conditions, the system reaches a hydrogen production rate of 1.6 µL s −1 with a conversion efficiency of 13.125%. This study presents sustainable energy production from polysaccharides.