Making use of nanoenergy from human – Nanogenerator and self-powered sensor enabled sustainable wireless IoT sensory systems

Abstract

Nowadays, the human body is gradually digitized by various wearable and implantable electronics. The establishment of a sustainable wireless internet of thing (IoT) sensory system is urged by developing the energy harvesters and self-powered sensors based on specific scenarios. As one of the dominant energy sources from the human body, mechanical energy offers a great opportunity for piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) and triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to accomplish the tasks. Both two techniques are featured with simple conversion mechanisms and easy integration for wearable and implantable devices. In this review, starting from the fundamental principle, both wearable and implantable PENG and TENG are thoroughly discussed, with different mechanical stimuli, including force, strain, vibration, etc., and various materials, such as ceramic, polymer, textile/nanowires, etc. Furthermore, based on the outputs from PENG and TENG, the self-powered physical sensors are investigated to exploit the potential of motion recognition or physiological signals monitoring. Besides, the introduction of hybrid systems also provides an overview of the joint function of PENG and TENG for enhancing both power generation and sensing performances. For achieving the IoT sensory network, the representative researches on wireless transmission of both energy and sensing signals are investigated according to the different transmission ranges. In general, this review offers comprehensive knowledge about the recent advances and the future outlook regarding the sustainable wireless sensory system specifically for the human body.