Sustainable Piezo-luminescent Cellulose Composite Fibers: Impact of the Processing Strategy on Energy Harvesting and Durability

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand, the need for sustainable, self-powered wearable electronics has become increasingly urgent, even though today’s energy-harvesting materials often depend on toxic or brittle ceramics. To address this, multifunctional piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) were developed by embedding copper-doped zinc sulfide (Cu–ZnS) microparticles into a cellulose acetate (CA) matrix. This research systematically investigated the impact of fabrication strategies, electrospinning (ES) versus electrsopraying (ESP), on filler dispersion, dipole alignment, and electromechanical performance. The results demonstrate that the ES process is significantly more effective, yielding a composite fiber with a crystallinity of 62.67% and a superior piezoelectric coefficient ( d 33 ) of 20.29 pm/V. The optimized electrospun PENG achieved a peak output voltage of 19.3 V, a current of 1.0 μA, and a power density of 126.14 μW/cm 3 at a load resistance of 4 MΩ. Furthermore, the composite exhibited robust mechanoluminescence and exceptional long-term durability after 5 days and remained stable in humid conditions due to its hydrophobic nature (contact angle 106.7°) while retaining 91% of its initial output voltage after 15 weeks. These findings conclude that the electrospun CA/Cu–ZnS architecture provides a high-performance, durable, and eco-friendly solution for self-powered sensing and smart textile applications.