Textile-based Triboelectric Nanogenerator Research Articles

High‐Performance Double‐Layer Textile‐Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator

This article aims to investigate the electrical output performance of the proposed textile‐based triboelectric nanogenerator (T‐TENG) under the operating principle of contact–separation mode. Herein, the T‐TENG structure is developed by electrospinning and weaving technologies. Therein, core–shell yarns are initially fabricated by applying nanocomposite zinc oxide /polyamide‐66 (ZnO–PAn) fibers on carbon (C) yarns. Then, yarns are directly woven as weft with polyamide‐66 yarns as warp to assemble the T‐TENG structure with the help of the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer. The results show that increasing the microscopic factor (i.e., the surface roughness) of the PTFE layer about twice can, respectively, enhance the open‐circuit voltage and short‐circuit current of the T‐TENG up to 27% and 21.7% on average; besides that the thickness of the PTFE layer plays an important role in the electrical output quality of T‐TENG. Equally important, improving the rough surface of the active layer (i.e., woven fabric layer) through nanocomposite fibers (ZnO/PAn) can endow the T‐TENG structure to generate excellent electrical potentials under different tapping frequencies. Interestingly, the best electrical output performance obtained in this article can reach maximum values (≈14 μA and 200 V) at 10 Hz with a structure (C–ZnO5%PAn/PAf@PTFE2m) and achieve a 2.7 mW power density on a 27 MΩ external resistance.

High-performance textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators with damage insensitivity and shape tailorability

Textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) represent a groundbreaking advancement in the field of wearable technology for supplying sustainable energy. In this study, a knitted dual-faced textile-based TENGs was proposed to address the existing challenges of low energy output and poor wearability. The fabric, composed of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) yarn and silver-plated yarn, features a unique intermeshed structure that enhances the corresponding TENG's output performance by increasing the contact area between the tribo-material and electrode. Such textile-based TENG have demonstrated an ability to attain open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and power density up to 133.8 V, 21.9 μA, and 0.53 W/m2, respectively. More importantly, the dual-faced triboelectric fabric exhibited exceptional damage insensitivity and shape tailorability, making it sustainable for long-term use in wearable devices. The textile-based TENG can power various microelectronic devices, including LED arrays and calculators, showcasing their potential as reliable energy sources for wearable electronics. Furthermore, a real-time wireless direction indication system integrated into a smart garment was developed, demonstrating the TENG's versatility in applications beyond energy harvesting, potentially in navigation assistance. The advent of the dual-faced triboelectric fabric signifies an important step forward in wearable technology, promising enhanced performance and expanded applications in both energy collection and sensing technology.

All-Polymeric stretchable conductive fiber with versatile intelligent wearable applications via microfluidic spinning technology

It remains a great challenge to fabricate all-polymer stretchable conductive fibers simultaneously presenting high mechanical robustness, high stretchability, and high conductivity through convenient and fast process, even though they exhibit great application potential in the intelligent wearable fields in replacement of the traditional metal wires or the liquid metal-based conductive fibers. In this paper, an all-polymeric fiber with core–shell structure is continuously produced through co-axial microfluidic spinning strategy. The composition of the fluids and the processing parameters of MST are regulated to adjust the size of the obtained PU@PEDOT:PSS fiber, and then optimizing its electric properties and the mechanical performances. The polyurethane (PU) elastic shell layer and the H2SO4-doped PEDOT:PSS conductive core provide the obtained composite fiber with a high conductivity exceeding 220 S m−1, as well as an impressive stretchability up to above 400 % strain, thus endowing it with versatile intelligent wearable applications, including the super-sensitive strain sensor for human motions monitoring, textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered impact sensing, and the electro-thermal conversion fabric for keep warming.

High-Performance All-Textile Triboelectric Nanogenerator toward Intelligent Sports Sensing and Biomechanical Energy Harvesting.

Merging textiles with advanced energy harvesting technology via triboelectric effects brings novel insights into self-powered wearable textile electronics. However, fabrication of a comfortable textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with high outputs remains challenging. Herein, we propose a highly flexible, tailorable, single-electrode all-textile TENG (t-TENG) with both wear comfort and high outputs. A dielectric modulated porous composite coating containing poly(vinylidene fluoride)-hexafluoropropylene copolymer and barium titanate nanoparticles is constructed on conductive fabric to counterpart with highly positive glass fiber fabric through knotted yarn bonding, maintaining the superiority of textiles and strong triboelectricity. Through the synergistic optimization of charge storage via dielectric modulation and charge dissipation offset by electrical poling, remarkable outputs (261 V, 1.5 μA, and 12.7 nC) are obtained from a miniaturized, lightweight t-TENG (2 × 2 cm2, 130 mg) with an instantaneous power density of 654.48 mW·m-2, as well as excellent electrical robustness and device durability over 20,000 cycles. The t-TENG also exhibits a high sensitivity of 3.438 V·kPa-1 in the force region (1-10 N), demonstrating great potential in TENG-based intelligent sports sensing applications for monitoring and correcting the basketball shooting hand and foot arch posture. Furthermore, over 110 light-emitting diode arrays can be lightened up by gently tapping this miniaturized t-TENG. It also offers a wearable power source scheme through integrating the single-electrode device into clothing and utilizing the skin as the grounded electrode, revealing its ease of integration and biomechanical energy harvesting capability. This work provides an attractive paradigm for next-generation textile electronics with well-balanced device performance and wear comfort.

Fabrication of Electrode Material for Textile-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators: Research of the Relationship between Output Performance and Dielectric Material Strain.

In this work, a textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) device was developed through electroless plating technology to prepare electrode material. Hydrophilic groups on the fiber surface are able to absorb Ag+, which could play a role in the center of a catalyst to reduce Cu2+ to fabricate Cu-coated cotton toward the fabrication of TENG electrode material. The TENG device established admirable performance and good stabilization, and a maximum voltage at 9.6 V was detected when the stress and strain on the polydimethylsiloxane layer are 82.6 kPa and 5.8%, respectively. In addition, the relationships among device properties and strain/thickness of dielectric materials have been explored in depth as well. The output voltage of the device increases gradually with the enhancement of dielectric strain and stress. As expected, the TENG as-fabricated device was installed to various physical behaviors to illustrate the harvesting of power of knee-jerk movements.

Super-elastic microstructured triboelectric fibers and textiles fabricated by extrusion and thermal drawing for smart-home applications

Flexible and wearable textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted extensive attention in wearable electronics owing to their ability to convert waste mechanical energy from human motion into electrical energy. However, the performances of TENGs are lower than those of planar/film configurations due to the complex fiber fabrications and limited mechanical freedom. In this work, we demonstrate an extrusion method combined with thermal drawing (ETD method) for continuous and scalable triboelectric fiber fabrication, providing longitudinal uniform fibers for hundreds of kilometers. Based on the ETD method, super-elastic microstructured triboelectric fibers (SMTFs) were fabricated, consisting of hollow elastomeric and liquid metal cores (EGaIn). The SMTFs showed excellent superelasticity with clear and uniform microstructures. The fibers could withstand strain up to 1800% and exhibited excellent electrical output performance. Utilizing a single fiber as the medium for triboelectric energy collection, the average open circuit voltage and instantaneous power density are respectively up to 210 V/m and 21 μW/m with a 40 MΩ external load resistance. The SMTFs could also be woven into deformable textiles with high electrical outputs up to 160 V, 10 μA, and 50 nC. In addition, the SMTFs-based textiles were further demonstrated as completely soft and stretchable components for self-powered sensing in smart home applications.

Recent Progress of Wearable Triboelectric Nanogenerator-Based Sensor for Pulse Wave Monitoring.

Today, cardiovascular diseases threaten human health worldwide. In clinical practice, it has been concluded that analyzing the pulse waveform can provide clinically valuable information for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Accordingly, continuous and accurate monitoring of the pulse wave is essential for the prevention and detection of cardiovascular diseases. Wearable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are emerging as a pulse wave monitoring biotechnology due to their compelling characteristics, including being self-powered, light-weight, and wear-resistant, as well as featuring user-friendliness and superior sensitivity. Herein, a comprehensive review is conducted on the progress of wearable TENGs for pulse wave monitoring. Firstly, the four modes of operation of TENG are briefly described. Secondly, TENGs for pulse wave monitoring are classified into two categories, namely wearable flexible film-based TENG sensors and textile-based TENG sensors. Next, the materials, fabrication methods, working mechanisms, and experimental performance of various TENG-based sensors are summarized. It concludes by comparing the characteristics of the two types of TENGs and discussing the potential development and challenges of TENG-based sensors in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and personalized healthcare.

Robust integration of energy harvesting with daytime radiative cooling enables wearing thermal comfort self-powered electronic devices

Wearable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) exhibit high flexibility and electric output, and are highly desirable in wearable electronics, soft robotics, and healthcare. Despite significant progress in wearables, achieving versatile integration (e.g. elasticity and permeability) and ensuring thermal comfort when wearing TENGs remain challenging. We mitigate this challenge by fabricating an ultra-stretchable, waterproof, and air/moisture permeable nonwoven textile via the electrospinning of styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene assisted by electrospraying poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)/SiO2 to integrate passive radiative cooling technology into the TENG system. The co-deposited PVDF-HFP/SiO2 micro-nanoparticles exhibit excellent triboelectric and radiative cooling performances and can serve as binders and hydrophobic agents. Combining this with the stretchable liquid metal–superlyophilic electrode, our wearable TENG device offers an excellent triboelectric output (114.5 V, 445 mW/m2 under 25 N) that can be used to power small electronics and monitor human movements (e.g. finger tapping and walking). Moreover, the integrated TENG-based radiative cooling textile with high values of Rsolar (83%) and εLWIR (95%) offers cooling by ∼9.5 °C under sunlight as compared with cotton. This study contributes to the development of wearing thermal comfort textile-based TENGs for electricity generation, self-powered sensing, and zero-energy input cooling.

Preparation and performance of 3-D woven triboelectric nanogenerators with integrated friction and spacer layers

Textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (t-TENGs) integrate new energy harvesting technologies with traditional textile technologies, giving collection and sensing capabilities to textiles while maintaining their resistance to mechanical deformation, design diversity, and wear resistance. However, its development has some problems, such as low output power, poor integrity, and low comfort. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3-D) woven triboelectric nanogenerator with integrated friction and spacer layers was designed, which had a low preparation cost, simple preparation process, structural integrity, and mechanical stability. The rectangular hollow structure formed by the 3-D spacer fabric provided space for contact and separation between the friction layers. At the frequency of 1 Hz and the force of 30 N, the 3-D woven triboelectric nanogenerator integrated with the friction and the spacer layers achieved the open-circuit voltage of 14.06 V and the short-circuit current of 30.67nA, and light the LED. At the same time, it can also be used as a self-powered sensor to monitor human movement, which has excellent development potential in self-powered textiles.

Multiple textile triboelectric nanogenerators based on UV-protective, radiative cooling, and antibacterial composite yarns

In addition to energy scavenging and self-powered sensing, there is growing interest in expanding the capabilities of textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (T-TENGs). In this study, we present a novel approach to developing T-TENGs with advanced features, such as antibacterial, ultraviolet (UV) protection, and radiative cooling performance. We use core − shell yarns consisting of conductive stainless steel wires (SS) as the electrode and anti-UV cotton yarns with antibacterial properties (UV/OM-CY) combined with polyethylene (PE) yarns that are tightly twined around the core SS fibers as the basic building blocks (PE/UV/OM-CY). The resulting fabric (PE/UV/OM-CF TENG), woven from these composite yarns, not only exhibits remarkable UV-protection capabilities with a UPF value of up to 328, but also demonstrates exceptional personal temperature management performance, with a surface temperature approximately 6.9 °C lower than that of cotton fabrics under intense direct sunlight. Moreover, the PE/UV/OM-CF TENG exhibits remarkable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, the fabricated PE/UV/OM-CF TENG displays excellent capability as a self-powered movement sensor, which could assist patients in modifying their exercise routines. Our multifunctional and consumer-centric design of T-TENG technology shows great potential for wearable electronics and could advance the development of artificial intelligence.

A Machine‐Braided Flame‐Retardant Triboelectric Yarn/Textile for Fireproof Application

AbstractWith the rapid development of the textile‐based triboelectric nanogenerators (T‐TENGs), it is highly desired to create a simple and cheap fabrication strategy for the T‐TENGs with high flame‐retardant performances (FRT‐TENGs), which can present reliable electrical performance in the fire disaster. In this work, by covering the flame‐retardant polyethylene terephthalate filaments around the conductive fiber, a flame‐retardant triboelectric yarn is successfully developed through a simple and continuous high‐speed braiding process. The obtained composite yarns are further woven into an FRT‐TENG, which presents excellent comprehensive performances, including good energy harvesting ability, long‐term durability and washability, excellent flame retardancy, and high comfortability. The open‐circuit voltage (VOC) and short‐circuit current (ISC) can reach nearly 12 V and 0.36 µA, respectively. The FRT‐TENG shows a high limiting oxygen index value of 31.3% and self‐extinguishing behavior, and still presents high energy output performances after the burning, making it a perfect candidate for intelligent devices with high fireproof ability, such as the smart firefighter uniform and the intelligent carpet for escape direction indication.

Roll to roll triboelectric fiber manufacturing for smart-textile self-powered sensor and harvester

The integration of a multifunctional electronic textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with miniaturized devices has opened up a new horizon in the field of wearable electronics. Unfortunately, the development of textile based TENG has enormous shortcomings, including shortcomings in durability, stability, washability, and compatibility with mass production. Thus, this work reports a cost-effective, simple fabrication, and industrially scalable production method of producing fiber TENG using silver conductor fiber encapsulated by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). To produce continuous PDMS-coated silver fiber, a home-made coating technology was used, in which silver fiber was fed up through a nozzle filled with PDMS gel solution using a roll-to-roll continuous fabrication process. The feasibilities of TENG fiber production were demonstrated by the manufacturing of over 300-meter-long fibers and therefrom a half-meter-long TENG woven fabric of 20 cm width including the integration technique into wearable garments for self-powered sensors and harvesters. The maximum output open circuit voltage and short circuit current of the PDMS-coated silver triboelectric nanogenerator (PS-TENG) were ∼50 V and ∼8.0 μA from 50.0 cm-long and 0.55 mm diameter fiber. A PS-TENG coil harvester out of this fiber can easily light up 160 LEDs with simple hand tapping. We also demonstrated the PS-TENG integration on the heel of a shoe insole, which was also able to light up 25 LEDs in serial connection during walking. Furthermore, since the PS-TENG provides flexibility and excellent durability against washing, repeatable uses, rubbing, and stability in harsh chemical environments, we have also integrated the self-powered sensor fiber into various healthcare objects and wearable sports items, including hand gloves for cardiopulmonary resuscitation sensing (CPRS), a belt for respiration sensing, and a belt for football shoes and boxing gloves to evaluate the impact of kicking and boxing. All these advantages of PS-TENG not only enable small wearable electronics to be powered but also accelerate the development of industrially scalable energy harvesting through engineering design.

Large-scale production of the 3D warp knitted terry fabric triboelectric nanogenerators for motion monitoring and energy harvesting

In the coming era of intelligence, the textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator (T-TENG) is considered to be one of the most important development directions to achieve flexible wearable sensing and micro/nano energy harvesting. Among them, due to excellent physical proeprties of nano/micro fibrous structure, fluff/terry /fleece/brush/fur/pile/villus/velvet structure fabrics are gradually being applied to TENG. However, the research on the relationship between the triboelectric properties of TENG and the structural parameters of fluff, as well as the fabrication of large-scale fluff TENG are very lacking. Here, a 3D warp knitted terry fabric TENG (WKTF-TENG) is mass produced by a mature warp knitted technology. The triboelectric properties of contact-separation mode, lateral-sliding mode and single electrode mode are systematically investigated by changing the height and density of the pile loops of the fabric. This study demonstrates that terry fabric is an excellent triboelectric materials for it high output and good wear resistance, especially for ateral-sliding mode. The output of WKTF-TENG even increases with the increase of working cycles due to the more fluffy and uniform distribution of fibers on the surface of the fabric. What’s more, the triboelectric properties of terry fabrics also have a great relationship with the compression properties of the pile loops. As smart textile matertail, WKTF-TENG can be usde as self-powered motion monitoring sensor and energy harvesting device. The research on the output performance of WKTF-TENG through theoretical analysis and experimental testing may provides a promising direction for fluff fabric based TENG.

Influence of the Fabric Topology on the Performance of a Textile-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Self-Powered Monitoring

The fibrous surface of textiles offers a larger contact area and continuous contact with the skin, which makes them a prominent candidate for biomechanical energy harvesting using the triboelectric nanogenerator principle. Herein, a lightweight, comfortable, and robust wearable triboelectric nanogenerator (W-TENG) device is fabricated for its application in self-powered technologies. The TENG output is enhanced via a three-way process: using a textured yarn and modifying the textile material and its structural variation in fabric. The triboelectric performance is correlated to the surface morphology, roughness, and dielectric properties. The current research compares woven and knitted fabric triboelectric nanogenerators using nylon, cotton, polypropylene (PP), and polyester. The surface roughness of the different textile materials and the irregular surface morphology of woven and knitted structures are studied using a three-dimensional (3D) optical profilometer. It is observed that the convolutions on the PP and nylon yarn and the 3D configuration of knitted fabric impart higher roughness than their woven counterpart providing a larger contact area. The higher contact area between the nylon/PP pair of knitted fabric has shown 240.55, 64.96, and 460% increments in voltage, current, and power density, respectively, compared to the woven W-TENG. The knitted fabric-based TENG has additionally demonstrated improved breathability and suitability to generate electrical energy from various human motions.

Fabrication of a textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator toward high-efficiency energy harvesting and material recognition.

Textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator (T-TENG) devices, particularly, narrow-gap mode, have been conceived and developed for obtaining energy harvesting and tactile sensing devices unaffected by the external environment. Enhancing the interfacial area of T-TENG materials offers exciting opportunities to improve the device output performance. In this work, a narrow-gap T-TENG was fabricated with a facile process, and a new strategy for improving the device output is proposed. The new structural sensor (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-encapsulated electroless copper plating (EP-Cu) cotton) with multiple electricity generation mechanism was designed and fabricated for enhancing recognition accuracy. The result shows that only PDMS layer strain was established at an external stress of 1.24-12.4 kPa and the fibers laterally slip at a stress of 12.4-139 kPa; more importantly, the output performance of the TENG displayed a linear relationship under corresponding stress ranges. The as-fabricated device demonstrated the ability to convert different energies such as vibration, raindrops, wind and human motions into electrical energy with excellent sensitivity. Interestingly, the output signal of the as-fabricated TENG device is a combination of output signals from PDMS/EP-Cu and PDMS/recognition object devices. To be precise, there are two TENG devices (PDMS/EP-Cu and PDMS/recognition object) that work when the as-fabricated TENG device is under 12.4-139 kPa stress. Accompanied by unique characteristics, the generated TENG signals are capable of recognition of contact materials. Combining the TENG signal and deep learning technology, we explore a strategy that can enable the as-fabricated device to recognize 8 different materials with 99.48% recognition accuracy in the natural environment.

Empowering Sustainability: Harnessing Textile Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Green Energy Harvesting

The triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have shown the most significant potential in developing a sustainable power source for wearable technologies. Among the various TENGs devices, the textiles are the most suitable candidates for harvesting biomechanical energy due to their excellent flexibility, biocompatibility, confirmability, and simple fabrication techniques. The advancement in the textile technologies enables a seamless integration of TENG into the clothing and accessories for efficient energy harvesting. Various approaches for developing textile-based TENGs are demonstrated mainly on weaving, knitting and combinations of different textile manufacturing processes. The potential of textile-based TENGs to provide sustainable energy for wearables makes them a promising avenue for future developments in the field of renewable energy technology. This paper provides a critical review of current developments in textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators as a sustainable power source, the effect of textile process parameters and the applications of TENGs for physiological monitoring.

Fabrication of triboelectric nanogenerators with multiple strain mechanisms for high-accuracy material and gesture recognition

Textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (T-TENGs) have great potential in new-generation tactile sensors because their output signal is determined by the specific charge interaction between the target and triboelectric material.

Fully stretchable textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators with crepe-paper-induced surface microstructures.

Currently, major energy sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear fuels face various issues such as resource depletion, environmental pollution, and climate change. Therefore, there is increasing interest in technology that converts mechanical, heat, vibration, and solar energy discarded in nature and daily life into electrical energy. As various wearable devices have been released in recent years, wearable energy-harvesting technologies capable of self-power generation have garnered attention as next-generation technologies. Among these, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which efficiently convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, are being actively studied. Textile-based TENG (T-TENGs) are one of the most promising energy harvesters for realizing wearable devices and self-powered smart clothing. This device exhibited excellent wearability, biocompatibility, flexibility, and breathability, making it ideal for powering wearable electronic devices. Most existing T-TENGs generate energy only in the intentional vertical contact mode and exhibit poor durability against twisting or bending deformation with metals. In this study, we propose a sandwich-structured T-TENG (STENG) with stretchability and flexibility for use in wearable energy harvesting. The STENG is manufactured with a structure that can maintain elasticity and generate a maximum voltage of 361.4 V and current of 58.2 μA based on the contact between the upper and lower triboelectric charges. In addition, it exhibited a fast response time and excellent durability over 5000 cycles of repetitive pushing motions. Consequently, the STENG could operate up to 135 light-emitting diodes (with output) without an external power source, and as an energy harvester, it could successfully harvest energy for various operations. These findings provide textile-based power sources with practical applications in e-textiles and self-powered electronics.

Multiscale Engineering of Sustainable and Versatile All‐Fiber Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Multifunctional Fibrous Materials and 3D Woven Architecture

AbstractWith the development of energy‐harvesting fabrics, woven structured textile‐based triboelectric nanogenerators (T‐TENGs) are widely proposed. However, most T‐TENGs with woven structures consist of one material, which greatly limits the functionality of T‐TENGs. This work focuses on structural design and rational material configuration to realize versatility of woven‐structured T‐TENG by a green, eco‐friendly, scalable production method. A 3D triboelectric nanogenerator fabric (3D SP‐FTENG) is proposed, which performs excellent electrical output (27.33 V, 1.76 µA, and 61.6 mW m−2) and wearability (directional water transport and breathability) as well as antibacterial activity. Moreover, in contrast to the previously reported multilayer T‐TENGs which are constructed by directly stacking multilayer functional fabrics together, the fabric interface of this new structure fabricated by weaving the support area and the functional area together is not easily delaminated. The 3D SP‐FTENG demonstrates outstanding durability (machine washability and ultrahigh abrasion resistance). In addition, the SP‐FTENG is able to drive wearable electronics and be used as a self‐powered sensor, such as constantly monitoring the movement signals of human body. This study presents a novel and sustainable strategy for the development of eco‐friendly multifunctional T‐TENGs.

Green-in-green biohybrids as transient biotriboelectric nanogenerators

Green self-powered devices based on biodegradable materials have attracted widespread attention. Here, we propose the construction of the transient biotriboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) using green-in-green bionanocompoites. The green-in-green nanocomposites, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)/polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), are prepared with a high-pressure molding method. The CNC promotes the degradation and enhances the dielectric constant of CNC/PHB. It further allows for the significant improvement of the triboelectric output of CNC/PHB-based TENG. The voltage output and current output of CNC/PHB-based TENG are 5.7 and 12.5 times higher than those of pristine PHB-based TENG, respectively. Also, the bio-TENG exhibits admirable signal stability in over 20000 cycles. Despite the high hardness of CNC/PHB, a soft but simple-structured arch sensor is successfully assembled using CNC/PHB-based TENG. It can attain the precise real-time monitoring of various human motions. This study may provide new insights into the design/fabrication of green functional materials, and initiate the next wave of innovations in eco-friendly self-powered devices.