All-polymeric fibrous triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered intelligent active motions monitoring system

Abstract

The emergence of fibrous triboelectric nanogenerators (FTENGs) provides a promising candidate for self-powered wearable electronics, and developing the all-polymeric FTENGs is beneficial to further improve the wearing comfort of the devices. However, it remains a crucial challenge to fabricate the all-polymeric FTENGs with ideal energy output performances. In this work, an all-polymeric stretchable FTENG (PEDOT/FSiR-FTENG) with high triboelectric outputs is fabricated through a simple rolling method and applied in the human active motions monitoring. The wrinkled poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) electrode layer is constructed to endow the PEDOT/FSiR-FTENG with high stretchability, enabling it to stably output electrical signals under 50% strain extension. In addition, the configuration and constituent of the electrode are adjusted to further enhance its conductivity, thereby significantly optimizing the triboelectric performance of the PEDOT/FSiR-FTENG. The obtained PEDOT/FSiR-FTENG can output the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of 30 V and 0.16 μA respectively under the external force of 60 N, and the electric signals show an obvious variation with the change of the force between 0.5 and 220 N, demonstrating its high sensitivity and responsiveness to mechanical stimuli. Taking advantage of these outstanding properties, the PEDOT/FSiR-FTENG is applied as a flexible self-powered sensor in the precise physiological detection, including large human motions (steps and joints bending) and slight human vital signs (expression, pulse, and phonation). In addition, a self-powered intelligent active motion monitoring system with wireless data transmission ability is developed based on the PEDOT/FSiR-FTENG, presenting great application potential in the remote patient care and the real-time communication between deaf-mutes.