Scalable and washable 3D warp-knitted spacer power fabrics for energy harvesting and pressure sensing

Abstract

Textile triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) that integrate the newly developed TENG science and traditional textile technology have attracted intense attentions, due to their broad potential applications in wearable power supply and self-powered sensors. However, the limited electrical output ability has greatly hindered the development of textile TENGs. Here, with the help of the advanced three-dimensional (3D) warp-knitted structure, a scalable and washable 3D warp-knitted spacer power fabric (3D-WSF) with high compression elasticity and enhanced power output is developed. Under the applied force of 20 N, the 3D-WSF can generate an open-circuit voltage of 32 V and a peak power density of 2.6 mW m−2, which is able to light up dozens of LEDs and charge capacitors. In addition, the 3D-WSF can also act as self-powered sensor that can monitor human motions, such as walking states and sitting postures. This work may provide an enlightening design idea for high output textile TENGs for potential applications in wearable micro/nano power sources, self-powered sensors, and human–machine interactive systems.