Mechanically Robust Cellulose-Based Piezoelectric Elastomer Formed by Slidable Polyrotaxane Cross-Linker

Cellulose has great potential in the field of piezoelectricity owing to its high crystallinity; however, it exhibits low processability and poor mechanical robustness. In this study, to enhance the applicability of cellulose-based piezoelectric materials, a robust cellulose-based piezoelectric elastomer with excellent piezoelectric properties was developed by cross-linking cellulose with polyrotaxane (PR). The effects of cross-linking on the mechanical properties and crystalline structures of the resulting elastomers were investigated. The ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties were evaluated from their polarization hysteresis loops and voltage generation characteristics. eHPC25PR75 exhibited 2.7 times higher toughness (20.4 MJ m–3) than eHPC100 (7.57 MJ m–3). It also shows a power density 4.2 times higher (1.34 μW cm–2) than eHPC100 (0.321 μW cm–2). As a result, eHPC25PR75 demonstrated piezosensitivity to mechanical vibrations in a variety of devices that require mechanical robustness. These results can inform the design and development of high-performance piezoelectric devices.