Chitosan (CS), as the polymer friction layer of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), has great potential for application in the development of degradable wearable sensors. However, its mechanical properties and output performance require further improvement. Although introducing plasticizers into polymers can simultaneously increase their mechanical properties and TENG output, this strategy remains unexplored for degradable polymer TENGs, which exhibit great potential as green materials in electromechanical conversion. Herein, we used glycerol and polyethylene glycol as plasticizers to enhance tensile properties and output properties of the CS TENG. Plasticizer incorporation resulted in an improved surface roughness and the introduction of numerous −OH groups, thereby improving the tribo-positive electrical generation of CS. The maximum open–circuit voltage can reach 173 V, which was three times higher than that of pure CS-based TENGs. Moreover, reduced Young’s modulus of this film made it more advantageous for flexible sensor applications, and throat sensing and handwriting recognition were realized. Finally, the CS sensor exhibited antibacterial activity and complete degradability in soil within 36 days. Overall, this plasticizing method is expected to be extensively studied in the field of degradable, wearable polymer TENG sensors.

中文翻译：

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增强可降解壳聚糖摩擦纳米发电机性能的双增塑策略

壳聚糖（CS）作为摩擦纳米发电机（TENG）的聚合物摩擦层，在可降解可穿戴传感器的开发中具有巨大的应用潜力。但其机械性能和输出性能还需要进一步提高。尽管在聚合物中引入增塑剂可以同时提高其机械性能和TENG输出，但这种策略对于可降解聚合物TENG仍有待探索，而可降解聚合物TENG在机电转换方面作为绿色材料表现出巨大的潜力。在这里，我们使用甘油和聚乙二醇作为增塑剂来增强CS TENG的拉伸性能和输出性能。增塑剂的加入改善了表面粗糙度并引入了许多-OH基团，从而改善了CS的摩擦正电产生。最大开路电压可达173 V，是纯CS基TENG的三倍。此外，该薄膜杨氏模量的降低使其更有利于柔性传感器应用，实现了喉部传感和手写识别。最终，CS传感器表现出抗菌活性，并在土壤中36天内完全降解。总体而言，这种塑化方法有望在可降解、可穿戴聚合物TENG传感器领域得到广泛研究。