Abstract
Fibers that harvest mechanical energy via the triboelectric effect are excellent candidates as power sources for wearable electronics and functional textiles. Thus far however, their fabrication remains complex, and exhibited performances are below the state-of-the-art of 2D planar configurations, making them impractical. Here, we demonstrate the scalable fabrication of micro-structured stretchable triboelectric fibers with efficiencies on par with planar systems. We use the thermal drawing process to fabricate advanced elastomer fibers that combine a micro-textured surface with the integration of several liquid metal electrodes. Such fibers exhibit high electrical outputs regardless of repeated large deformations, and can sustain strains up to 560%. They can also be woven into deformable machine-washable textiles with high electrical outputs up to 490 V, 175 nC. In addition to energy harvesting, we demonstrate self-powered breathing monitoring and gesture sensing capabilities, making this triboelectric fiber platform an exciting avenue for multi-functional wearable systems and smart textiles.
Highlights
Fibers that harvest mechanical energy via the triboelectric effect are excellent candidates as power sources for wearable electronics and functional textiles
We demonstrate the fabrication of potentially kilometerlong microstructured triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) fibers with advanced cross-sectional architectures integrating multiple liquid metal electrodes and a micrometer-scale surface texture
The working principle of a TENG system with a single electrode surrounded by an insulating cladding is based on the combination of contact-electrification and electrostatic-induction effects[32]
Summary
Fibers that harvest mechanical energy via the triboelectric effect are excellent candidates as power sources for wearable electronics and functional textiles. We report the design and scalable fabrication of liquid metal-based microstructured stretchable TENG fibers and textiles with performance comparable with state-of-the-art planar configurations. We demonstrate the fabrication of potentially kilometerlong microstructured TENG fibers with advanced cross-sectional architectures integrating multiple liquid metal electrodes and a micrometer-scale surface texture.
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