Woven fabric triboelectric nanogenerators for human–computer interaction and physical health monitoring

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) converts mechanical energy into valuable electrical energy, offering a solution for future energy needs. As an indispensable part of TENG, textile TENG (T-TENG) has incredible advantages in harvesting biomechanical energy and physiological signal monitoring. However, the application of T-TENG is restricted, partly because the fabric structure parameter and structure on T-TENG performance have not been fully exploited. This study comprehensively investigates the effect of weaving structure on fabric TENGs (F-TENGs) for direct-weaving yarn TENGs and post-coating fabric TENGs. For direct-weaving F-TENGs, a single-yarn TENG (Y-TENG) with a core–sheath structure is fabricated using conductive yarn as the core layer yarn and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filaments as the sheath yarn. Twelve fabrics with five different sets of parameters were designed and investigated. For post-coating F-TENGs, fabrics with weaving structures of plain, twill, satin, and reinforced twill were fabricated and coated with conductive silver paint. Overall, the twill F-TENGs have the best electrical outputs, followed by the satin F-TENGs and plain weave F-TENGs. Besides, the increase of the Y-TENG gap spacing was demonstrated to improve the electrical output performance. Moreover, T-TENGs are demonstrated for human–computer interaction and self-powered real-time monitoring. This systematic work provides guidance for the future T-TENG’s design.