Triboelectric energy harvester based on wearable textile platforms employing various surface morphologies

Abstract

Wearableenergyharvestingdevicesareofincreasingimportancefortherealizationof flexible smart electronics,asthebasicbuildingblocksofpowersourcesareabletoconvertthe mechanical energyinducedfrombodymovementtoelectricity.Here,wereporttheelectrical responses ofatextilesubstrate-basedtriboelectricnanogenerator(T-TENG),includingnanos- tructured surfaceconfigurations providedbyAlnanoparticlesandPDMS,inwhichnointricate fabrication processwasperformedorrequired.Alongwithanalysisoftheworkingprincipleand finite elementsimulation,thetextile-basedoutputpowerdensityof33.6mW/cm2 was obtained fromtheperiodicmechanicalstressofanadjustablebendingmachine,andthis was usedtoactivatecommerciallyavailablelightemittingdiode(LED)bulbs.Additionally,we demonstrated thegenerationofsufficient energyfromclothesattachedtoacommercialarm sleeve topowertheLEDdevicesfromtheactivityofahumanarm.Ourpracticalclothapproach may contributetoageneralframeworkfordevelopingfunctionalandself-poweredwearable electronic devices. & 2015 ElsevierLtd.Allrightsreserved.