Adaptive Carbon Nanotube Patches for Versatile Electronic Textiles and Wind‐Harvesting Applications

Hydrochromic CsPbBr3-KBr Microcrystals for Flexible Anti-Counterfeiting and Wearable Self-Powered Biomechanical Monitoring

Rapid growth of electronic textile increases the demand for textile‐based power sources, which should have comparable lightweight, flexibility, and comfort. In this work, a self‐charging power textile interwoven by all‐yarn‐based energy‐harvesting triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) and energy‐storing yarn‐type asymmetric supercapacitors (Y‐ASC) is reported. Common polyester yarns with conformal Ni/Cu coating are utilized as 1D current collectors in Y‐ASCs and electrodes in TENGs. The solid‐state Y‐ASC achieves high areal energy density (≈78.1 µWh cm−2), high power density (14 mW cm−2), stable cycling performance (82.7% for 5000 cycles), and excellent flexibility (1000 cycles bending for 180°). The TENG yarn can be woven into common fabrics with desired stylish designs to harvest energy from human daily motions at high output (≈60 V open‐circuit voltage and ≈3 µA short‐circuit current). The integrated self‐charging power textile is demonstrated to power an electronic watch without extra recharging by other power sources, suggesting its promising applications in electronic textiles and wearable electronics.

The development of wearable and large-area energy-harvesting textiles has received intensive attention due to their promising applications in next-generation wearable functional electronics. However, the limited power outputs of conventional textiles have largely hindered their development. Here, in combination with the stainless steel/polyester fiber blended yarn, the polydimethylsiloxane-coated energy-harvesting yarn, and nonconductive binding yarn, a high-power-output textile triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with 3D orthogonal woven structure is developed for effective biomechanical energy harvesting and active motion signal tracking. Based on the advanced 3D structural design, the maximum peak power density of 3D textile can reach 263.36 mW m-2 under the tapping frequency of 3 Hz, which is several times more than that of conventional 2D textile TENGs. Besides, its collected power is capable of lighting up a warning indicator, sustainably charging a commercial capacitor, and powering a smart watch. The 3D textile TENG can also be used as a self-powered active motion sensor to constantly monitor the movement signals of human body. Furthermore, a smart dancing blanket is designed to simultaneously convert biomechanical energy and perceive body movement. This work provides a new direction for multifunctional self-powered textiles with potential applications in wearable electronics, home security, and personalized healthcare.

Flexible ferroelectric wearable devices for medical applications.

The fabrication of durable and scalable nanofiber fabrics (NFs) remains a critical challenge, limiting their practical applications in wearable electronics, smart textiles, biosensing, and energy harvesting systems. Recent advances in self-powered wearable textiles have demonstrated the potential of converting biomechanical motion into electricity, paving the way for battery-free next-generation SMART textiles. However, achieving a balance among flexibility, durability, high output performance, and wearability remains a major hurdle for real-world adoption. In this study, we introduce NanoTwist Spinning, an integrated nanospinning and yarn-twisting system designed to fabricate core-sheath nanofiber yarns (CSNYs) with high mechanical resilience and electrical conductivity. These yarns feature a precisely twisted nanofiber sheath wrapped around a conductive silver core, enabling large-scale processing through standard knitting machines to produce high-performance electronic-NFs (E-NFs). By optimizing fabrication parameters and utilizing polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) polymers, we achieved uniform, stable CSNYs with an optimized nanofiber wrapping rate of 38.21%. The resulting knitted NFs exhibited exceptional mechanical properties, including 83% compressive resilience, a breaking force of 350.5 N, a tensile strength of 17.53 MPa, and an elongation of 261.8%, ensuring superior durability, wearability, and comfort. To demonstrate real-world feasibility, the fabricated PCL/PVDF-HFP NF-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) achieved an impressive electrical output of 100 V and 8 μA under real-time conditions, validating its potential for energy-harvesting applications. This work marks a significant breakthrough in scalable NYs and NFs production, offering a transformative pathway for the smart textile industry and opening new frontiers in sustainable, self-powered E-Textiles.

Asymmetric-elastic-structure fabric-based triboelectric nanogenerators for wearable energy harvesting and human motion sensing

MXene bridging graphite nanoplatelets for electrically and thermally conductive nanofiber composites with high breathability

Paper‐based triboelectric nanogenerators (P‐TENGs) have recently garnered significant attention in wearable electronics. However, traditional P‐TENGs are constrained by the inherent strength limitations of paper. Hence, we reported a novel polyester‐paper cloth‐based triboelectric nanogenerator (PP‐TENG) designed for mechanical energy harvesting and running motion monitoring. Compared to paper, polyester‐paper cloth has higher durability and tear resistance. The PP‐TENG capitalizes on the unique fluffy internal structure of polyester‐paper cloth, imparting high sensitivity to pressure variations. Experimental results demonstrate that the PP‐TENG achieves an open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of 466.64 V, a short‐circuit current (Isc) of 48.73 μA, and a transfer charge (Qsc) of 90 nC. Its maximum output power reaches 930.26 μW when connected to a 40 MΩ load. These impressive metrics underscore the potential of PP‐TENG in energy harvesting applications, particularly for wearable electronic devices. The device's integration into the soles of athletic socks showcases its practical utility, providing real‐time monitoring of runners’ gait and step count. This integration not only enhances the functionality of sportswear but also offers valuable data for performance analysis and injury prevention, marking a significant advancement in wearable technology and intelligent textiles. This research provide a promising path for self‐powered wearable sensors and flexible electronics applications.

Smart textiles have recently aroused tremendous interests over the world because of their broad applications in wearable electronics, such as human healthcare, human motion detection, and intelligent robotics. Sensors are the primary components of wearable and flexible electronics, which convert various signals and external stimuli into electrical signals. While traditional electronic sensors based on rigid silicon wafers can hardly conformably attach on the human body, textile materials including fabrics, yarns, and fibers afford promising alternatives due to their characteristics including light weight, flexibility, and breathability. Of fundamental importance are the needs for fabrics simultaneously having high electrical and mechanical performance. This article focused on the hierarchical design of the textile-based flexible sensor from a structure point of view. We first reviewed the selection of newly developed functional materials for textile-based sensors, including metals, conductive polymers, carbon nanomaterials, and other two-dimensional (2D) materials. Then, the hierarchical structure design principles on different levels from microscale to macroscale were discussed in detail. Special emphasis was placed on the microstructure control of fibers, configurational engineering of yarn, and pattern design of fabrics. Finally, the remaining challenges toward industrialization and commercialization that exist to date were presented.

Although textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are highly promising because they scavenge energy from their working environment to sustainably power wearable/mobile electronics, the challenge of simultaneously possessing the qualities of cloth remains. In this work, we propose a strategy for TENG textiles as power cloths in which core-shell yarns with core conductive fibers as the electrode and artificial polymer fibers or natural fibrous materials tightly twined around core conductive fibers are applied as the building blocks. The resulting TENG textiles are comfortable, flexible, and fashionable, and their production processes are compatible with industrial, large-scale textile manufacturing. More importantly, the comfortable TENG textiles demonstrate excellent washability and tailorability and can be fully applied in further garment processing. TENG textiles worn under the arm or foot have also been demonstrated to scavenge various types of energy from human motion, such as patting, walking, and running. All of these merits of proposed TENG textiles for clothing uses suggest their great potentials for viable applications in wearable electronics or smart textiles in the near future.

Wearable technologies are driving current research efforts to self-powered electronics, for which novel high-performance materials such as graphene and low-cost fabrication processes are highly sought.The integration of high-quality graphene films obtained from scalable water processing approaches in emerging applications for flexible and wearable electronics is demonstrated. A novel method for the assembly of shear exfoliated graphene in water, comprising a direct transfer process assisted by evaporation of isopropyl alcohol is developed. It is shown that graphene films can be easily transferred to any target substrate such as paper, flexible polymeric sheets and fibers, glass, and Si substrates. By combining graphene as the electrode and poly(dimethylsiloxane) as the active layer, a flexible and semi-transparent triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is demonstrated for harvesting energy. The results constitute a new step toward the realization of energy harvesting devices that could be integrated with a wide range of wearable and flexible technologies, and opens new possibilities for the use of TENGs in many applications such as electronic skin and wearable electronics.

Progress and challenges in flexible electrochromic devices

Stretchable devices significantly expand the scope of applications such as flexible displays and wearable devices/sensors. To enable stretchable wearable electronics, methods for connecting unit devices and developing circuits are required. Previously, research was performed to manufacture circuits with 3D structures or patterns that remain intact when the flexible and stretchable substrates are deformed. A method for drawing a circuit directly on a substrate with a conductive ink pen is proposed, although it is limited by the surface properties of the substrate. Most existing transparent papers are not sufficiently stretchable for flexible and wearable electronics applications. Therefore, a polydimethylsiloxane–cellulose nanocrystals (PDMS–CNC) composite paper is developed that is both highly flexible and stretchable, while maintaining a high transmittance. The versatility of the composite paper is demonstrated as a suitable substrate for flexible devices by patterning with a conductive ink pen. The PDMS–CNC composite paper has an excellent transmittance of ≈70%, and can withstand over 800% tensile strain. The patterned circuits have only minor increase in resistance after a 50% deformation and recovery. The composite paper is a suitable technology for fabricating electrical components and devices for the Internet of Things and wearable and flexible electronics applications.

Porous structures offer several key advantages in energy harvesting, making them highly effective for enhancing the performance of piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators (PENG and TENG). Their high surface area-to-volume ratio improves charge accumulation and electrostatic induction, which are critical for efficient energy conversion. Additionally, their lightweight and flexible nature allows for easy integration into wearable and flexible electronics. These combined properties make porous materials a powerful solution for addressing the efficiency limitations that have traditionally restricted nanogenerators. Recognizing these benefits, this review focuses on the essential role that porous materials play in advancing PENG and TENG technologies. It examines a wide range of porous materials, including aerogels, nano-porous films, sponges, and 2D materials, explaining how their unique structures contribute to higher energy harvesting efficiency. The review also explores recent breakthroughs in the development of these materials, demonstrating how they overcome performance challenges and open up new possibilities for practical applications. These advancements position porous nanogenerators as strong candidates for use in wearable electronics, smart textiles, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. By exploring these innovations, the review underscores the importance of porous structures in driving the future of energy harvesting technologies.

Extreme condition-resistant flexible triboelectric nanogenerator and sensor based on swollen-yet-enhanced and self-healing deep eutectic gel