Wearable Research Articles

Alkali Ion-Accelerated Gelation of MXene-Based Conductive Hydrogel for Flexible Sensing and Machine Learning-Assisted Recognition.

Conductive hydrogels are promising active materials for wearable flexible electronics, yet it is still challenging to fabricate conductive hydrogels with good environmental stability and electrical properties. In this work, a conductive MXene/LiCl/poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) hydrogel system was successfully prepared with an impressive conductivity of 12.2 S/m. Interestingly, the synergistic effect of MXene and a lithium bond can significantly accelerate the polymerization process, forming the conductive hydrogel within 1 min. In addition, adding LiCl to the hydrogel not only significantly increases its water retention ability, but also enhances its conductivity, both of which are important for practical applications. The flexible strain sensors based on the as-prepared hydrogel have demonstrated excellent monitoring ability for human joint motion, pulse, and electromyographic signals. More importantly, based on machine learning image recognition technology, the handwritten letter recognition system displayed a high accuracy rate of 93.5%. This work demonstrates the excellent comprehensive performance of MXene-based hydrogels in health monitoring and image recognition and shows potential applications in human-machine interfaces and artificial intelligence.

Highly stretchable and strain-insensitive multilayered electromagnetic interference shielding films prepared via a simple soaking-infiltration strategy

Stretchable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding films are crucial for wearable electronics. However, it is challenging to further endow the EMI shielding films with good stretchability and satisfactory EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) under large strains. Herein, we successfully prepared high-performance stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/single-walled carbon nanotube buckypaper (SWNT BP)/PDMS EMI shielding films with multi-graded conductive networks via a soaking-infiltration strategy. In this multilayered film, infiltration layers of SWNT/PDMS were particularly created between elastic PDMS and brittle SWNT BP. Owing to the multilayered structure and conductivity compensation effects arising from infiltration layers, our EMI shielding films exhibited excellent EMI SE of 34.2 dB with high stretchability of >400 %. The outstanding EMI SE could be well maintained under large strains. At <50 % strain, the relative change in EMI SE (|ΔSE/SE0|) remained consistently below 10 %, while at even 100 % strain, |ΔSE/SE0| was only ∼35 %. Furthermore, we proposed a parallel-series hybrid model to describe electrical conduction in straining films. Due to their excellent conductivity under strain, the films could also serve as stretchable Joule heaters. This work provides a novel and simple approach for constructing strain-insensitive conductive films, with potential applications in stretchable EMI shielding and thermal management.

Research progress of wearable devices in textile field: a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer, RStudio bibliometrix and CiteSpace software tools

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze research trends on “Wearable devices in textile filed” from 2010 to 2023 and determine the important keywords, nations and journals associated with this topic.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing journal literature on wearable devices from the 2010 to 2023 Web of Science (WoS) database, this study employs VOSviewer, biblioshiny of the R software package and the specialized software CiteSpace to generate knowledge graphs for measuring retrieval outcomes.FindingsThe research on wearable devices integrated into textiles between 2010 and 2023 can be divided into three stages: initial slow progress, subsequent rapid advancement and final slow progress, indicating a general rise in the quantity of published material. The terms “fabrication,” “wearable electronics” and “design” are closely linked in this field. China is the most globally networked country in this field, according to the World Collaboration Map. NANO ENERGY ranked first in the number of articles published in journals, with 18 articles and 1,151 citations.Originality/valueThe study identified the present state and research trends in the field of “Wearable devices in textile filed,” offering valuable information for researchers to enhance their understanding of the field’s progress.

Silver Nanoparticle-Decorated Cellulose Nanocrystal Reinforced Ionic Polymer Hydrogel With High Conductivity and Environmental Tolerance for Multifunctional Sensing and Emergency Alarm System.

Conductive hydrogels hold great promise for flexible electronics. However, the simultaneous achievement of satisfactory mechanical strength, outstanding environmental tolerance, high sensitivity, and multiple sensing applications in a single conductive hydrogel remains a significant challenge. Herein, ionic polymer-based hydrogels with a double conductive network consisting of [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC), 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and silver nanoparticle decorated cellulose nanocrystal (CNC@Ag) are prepared by a facile one-pot method. The resultant hydrogel (CDH) exhibits high stretchability, satisfactory self-adhesion, excellent environment tolerance (from -60 to 60°C), long-term stability (60 days), effective UV-shielding, and strong antibacterial properties. Significantly, the CDH hydrogel displays high conductivity and rapid response due to its double conductive network of ionic polymer and CNC@Ag. Therefore, the CDH-assembled sensor can accurately detect signals from both strain and pressure deformations, exhibiting outstanding sensitivity and reliability for human motion detection, signal transmission, object recognition, and tactile sensing. More interestingly, collaborating with a development board, the CDH-based sensor can be developed as an emergency alarm to realize prompt alarms in dangerous situations. Overall, this work presents a strategy for the fabrication of conductive hydrogel with remarkable properties, making it possible for multifunctional sensing applications in wearable electronics.

Effect of CNF ratio and pressure on structural and electrochemical performance of hybrid hydrogel for flexible free-standing electrode and sensors

A 2D flexible hydrogel (GO/CNFn) with layered structure and superhydrophilic is synthesized via cross-linking and self-assembling of graphene oxide (GO) with cellulose nanofiber (CNF) through microwave-assisted hydrothermal. CNF acts as “dispersant” and “spacer”, making GO nanosheets uniformly disperse on their surface with less agglomerations. The carboxyl groups and hydrophilicity of CNF effectively improve the charge storage capacity of carbon materials through interactions. When the mass ratio of GO to CNF is 3:1, the GO/CNF1 exhibits an excellent comprehensive electrochemical performance as free-standing electrodes, with the specific capacitance reaching 295 F/g at 0.5 A/g in three-electrode system. The influence of press pressure on GO/CNFn reveals that increasing the pressure improves the hydrophilicity of the electrode, favoring their wettability to aqueous electrolyte. GO/CNF1–6 possesses the highest degree of graphitization, and delivers a highest mass specific capacitance up to 493 F/g at 0.5 A/g. Flexible solid-state symmetric supercapacitor with GO/CNF1–6 as electrodes exhibits an energy density of 20.6 Wh/kg at a power density of 250 W/kg. The good flexibility and biocompatibility of the devices show sensitive current response to biological signals, endowing them potential application prospect in wearable portable electronics and human motion detections.

Whisker-Implanted Biomimetic Electronic Skin for Tactile Sensing and Blind Perception.

Rodent whiskers are a distinct class of tactile sensors that work in conjunction with the biological skin to discern airstreams and obstacles with remarkable sensitivity, facilitating navigation around proximate objects. In this study, a flexible artificial skin is developed comprising sensory active units, including electronic skin (e-skin) and an artificial whisker, inspired by the sensory capabilities of rodent skin and whiskers. As a novel strategy, unique congruent air pockets are introduced within the e-skin to enhance the sensitivity. Mechanical stimuli applied to the artificial whisker are efficiently transmitted to the active e-skin, which generates a sensitive tactile perception response. The developed artificial skin exhibits high sensitivity, a wide sensing range, high flexibility, superior stability, and tensile strength. The artificial whisker facilitates the sensitive detection of a broad range of applied mechanical forces. Therefore, the artificial skin can sense subtle and vigorous tactile stimuli including airstreams and field obstacles. The ability to sense, discriminate, and decipher the airstreams and obstacles imparts outstanding tactile sensing and blind perception characteristics to the artificial skin. This artificial skin is a promising platform for the development of sensitive e-skins suitable for a broad range of applications, such as human-machine interfaces, robotics, and wearable electronics.

Rubber-based piezoresistive sensing: a new approach based on hydrodynamic flow of material deformation describing nonlinear signals in stretchable sensors

AbstractThe nonlinearity of piezoresistive response is critical in developing strain sensors, various self-monitoring applications and wearable electronics based on filled rubbers. This parameter could change dramatically when scaling up from small-size prototypes to full-scale production. The present work focuses on the nonlinear signals in stretchable rubber-based sensors, their origin and dependence on size of samples. Thus, a set of rectangular, piezoresistive samples differing in width was prepared from natural rubber reinforced with carbon black filler. Their electric resistance was tested under planar strain/recovery conditions at 25 and 50% strain amplitudes. It was found that piezoresistance and the related nonlinear phenomena significantly depended on the size of the samples. For the first time, hydrodynamic flow of deformed material was used to explain the nonlinearities of the piezoresistive signal. The trajectory, velocity, and magnitude of this flow were accounted for by a newly developed empirical equation describing the evolution of local resistivity under the strain/recovery process.

Energetic and durable all-polymer aqueous battery for sustainable, flexible power

All-polymer aqueous batteries, featuring electrodes and electrolytes made entirely from polymers, advance wearable electronics through their processing ease, inherent safety, and sustainability. Challenges persist with the instability of polymer electrode redox products in aqueous environments, which fail to achieve high performance in all-polymer aqueous batteries. Here, we report a polymer-aqueous electrolyte designed to stabilize polymer electrode redox products by modulating the solvation layers and forming a solid-electrolyte interphase. Polyaniline is selected as an example for its dual functionality as a cathode or anode working by p/n doping mechanisms. This approach pioneers the application of polyaniline as an anode and enhances the high-voltage stability of polyaniline cathode in an aqueous electrolyte. The resulting all-polymer aqueous sodium-ion battery with polyaniline as symmetric electrodes exhibits a high capacity of 139 mAh/g, energy density of 153 Wh/kg, and a retention of over 92% after 4800 cycles. Spectroscopic characterizations have elucidated the hydration structure, solid-electrolyte interphase, and dual-ion doping mechanism. Large-scale all-polymer flexible batteries are fabricated with excellent flexibility and recyclability, heralding a paradigmatic approach to sustainable, wearable energy storage.

Natural cellulose reinforced multifunctional eutectogels for wearable sensors and epidermal electrodes

Wearable electronics significantly impact health monitoring, clinical care, and human-machine interfaces. Eutectogels, which utilize deep eutectic solvents (DES) address the drawbacks of hydrogels, such as weight loss and poor temperature tolerance, as well as the high costs and toxicities associated with ionogels. Despite these advances, most eutectogels serve only as sensors or epidermal electrodes and rarely fulfill both functions simultaneously. In this study, we present a multifunctional eutectogel designed to function in both ways. Incorporating natural cotton cellulose nanofibers as nanofillers reinforced the tensile strength of the resultant eutectogel by 7.47 times compared to that of the pure eutectogel, reaching 4.93 MPa. This eutectogel exhibited high ionic conductivity (1.22 S m−1), strong adhesion (1562.2 kPa to iron), self-healing ability (80.37% strain recovery and 80.53% tensile strength recovery), a broad temperature tolerance (−40 to 80 °C), and antibacterial properties. It demonstrates high sensitivity for the real-time strain detection of human activities and accurately captures electrophysiological signals, enabling the control of a small car. This versatile eutectogel has excellent potential for use in flexible wearable electronics.

Multiscale Analyses of Strain-Enhanced Charge Transport in Conjugated Polymers.

The advancement of flexible and wearable electronics relies on semiconducting polymers that can endure mechanical deformation while maintaining high electrical performance under strain. In this study, we demonstrate that fine-tuning backbone rigidity through the molecular design of donor moieties significantly enhances both the mechanical and charge transport properties of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based polymers. Specifically, the flexible DPP-4T (quaterthiophene) exhibited a persistence length of 20.4 nm in solution, while DPP-DTT (dithienothiophene) showed a longer persistence length of 32.8 nm due to its stiff backbone, as confirmed by small-angle neutron scattering and Monte Carlo simulations. This flexibility enabled DPP-4T to achieve a crack-onset strain exceeding 100% via the film-on-elastomer method and a fracture strain of over 30% in quasi-free-standing films. Additionally, DPP-4T demonstrated a 180% increase in hole mobility at 80% strain, driven by strain-induced chain alignment and backbone planarization. Utilizing a range of characterization techniques, including ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy, we characterized structural changes at multiple length scales under applied tensile strain. Notably, strain induced a transformation in chain conformation from a twisted to a flat structure, reducing the hopping energy barrier and enhancing charge transport. These structural rearrangements are crucial for sustaining efficient charge transport and ensuring the reliability of electronic performance under mechanical stress.

Nanoconfinement Effect Enhances Stretchability and Mechanical Stability of Organic Photodetectors

AbstractOrganic photodetectors (OPDs) hold immense promise for stretchable and wearable applications, but their photoactive films demonstrate brittleness, stiffness, and mechanical instability, posing challenges for future applications. Herein, the nanoconfinement effect is reported to substantially improve the stretchability and mechanical stability while reducing the stiffness of photoactive films, simultaneously maintaining the high light detection performance. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and photoelectric performance of the quaternary blend films with varying elastomer contents are thoroughly characterized. Additionally, the elastic modulus of quaternary blends can be accurately predicted by the Coran–Patel model. Cyclic tensile tests demonstrate enhanced mechanical stability, resulting in a specific detectivity of the quaternary blend with the nanoconfinement effect being 19 times higher than that of the ternary blend after 200 cycles. Overall, this study provides novel insights into constructing stretchable blend films for wearable electronics.

Harnessing the mechanical and magnetic energy with PMN-PT/Ni-Mn-In-based flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator

Multifunctional piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENG) hold significant potential in developing smart sensing technologies for the military, healthcare, and industrial sectors. Here, we present the efficient energy harvesting from mechanical and magnetic stimuli in 0.67Pb (Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.33PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) / Ni50Mn35In15 (Ni-Mn-In)-based PENG fabricated on a flexible nickel substrate using the DC/RF magnetron sputtering technique. The performance of the device has been assessed by imparting forces in the range of 0.12–0.61 N using various weights, finger tapping, bending, and magnetic fields. The device generates the maximum open circuit voltage (Voc) of 9.3 V and 6 V with 0.61 N of force and finger tapping, respectively. The corresponding short circuit current (Isc) has been obtained as 1.33 µA (0.61 N) and 0.9 µA (finger tapping). The device shows a maximum Voc of 10.6 V and Isc of 1.51 µA at the bending angle of 120°. Furthermore, the Voc and Isc have increased from 0 mV and 0 nA to 240 mV and 35 nA under the presence of 0 Oe to 500 Oe of DC magnetic field, respectively. The fabricated device exhibited a power density of 2.7 µW/cm2 with a high mechanical stability of 2500 cycles. Additionally, LEDs of green, red, yellow, and white color have been illuminated. The receptiveness of the fabricated PENG towards mechanical and magnetic stimuli highlights its potential in areas such as tactile sensing, wearable electronics, human-machine interfaces, and biomedical devices.

MXene-Deposited Melamine Foam-Based Iontronic Pressure Sensors for Wearable Electronics and Smart Numpads.

Iontronic pressure sensors hold significant potential to emerge as vital components in the field of flexible and wearable electronics, addressing a variety of applications spanning wearable technology, health monitoring systems, and human-machine interactions. This study introduces a novel iontronic pressure sensor structure based on a seamlessly deposited Ti3C2Tx MXene layer onto highly porous melamine foam as parallel plate electrodes and an ionically conductive electrolyte of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide/thermoplastic polyurethane coupled with carbon cloth as current collecting layers for improved sensitivity and high mechanical stability of more than 7000 cycles. MXene-deposited melamine foam-based iontronic pressure sensors (MIPS) showed a high sensitivity of 5.067 kPa-1 in the range of 45-60kPa and a fast response/recovery time of 28/18ms, respectively. The high sensitivity, high mechanical stability, and fast response/recovery time of the designed sensor make them highly promising candidates for real-time body motion monitoring. Moreover, sensors are employed as a smart numpad for integration into advanced ATM security systems utilizing machine learning algorithms. This research marks a significant advance in iontronic pressure sensor technology, offering promising avenues for application in wearable electronics and security systems.

Dual-function triboelectric nanogenerators: Integrating enhanced energy harvesting and antibacterial properties for wearable and portable electronics

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) offer potential for self-powered wearable and portable electronics that can be implanted under the skin (e.g., at the fingertip) to convert a touch stimulus into voltage. However, the proliferation of harmful bacteria on TENG-integrated devices from human touch remains a concern. This paper presents the fabrication of an antibacterial film-based TENG (AF-TENG) using cationic quaternary ammonium group-based poly(vinylidene fluoride) (NH4-PVDF). As the grafting content of cationic groups increases, the dielectric constant, β-phase content, and tribo-positivity increase, thus enhancing the performance of the AF-TENG. Specifically, the AF-TENG, composed of NH4-PVDF grafted with 40 wt% cationic groups and polytetrafluoroethylene, generates a maximum power density of 134 mW m−2 (24.1 times higher than that of ungrafted P(VDF-CTFE)-based TENG). Furthermore, the 40 wt% NH4-PVDF-based TENG exhibits potential applicability as a self-powered source in various applications, including illuminating light-emitting diodes (LEDs), charging capacitors, and driving a stopwatch. The AF-TENG demonstrated high durability over 21,000 cycles. Additionally, it exhibits excellent antibacterial activity (99.99%) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The findings confirm the potential of the proposed NH4-PVDF as an antibacterial and tribo-positive material and provide insights into future sustainable materials for facilitating wearable and portable energy generation.

Highly Sensitive, Degradable, and Rapid Self-Healing Hydrogel Sensor with Semi-Interpenetrating Network for Recognition of Micro-Expressions.

Flexible conductive hydrogels have revolutionized the lives and are widely applied in health monitoring and wearable electronics as a new generation of sensing materials. However, the inherent low mechanical strength, sensitivity, and lack of rapid self-healing capacity results in their short life, poor detection accuracy, and environmental pollution. Inspired by the molecular structure of bone and its chemical characteristics, a novel fully physically cross-linked conductive hydrogel is fabricated by the introduction of nanohydroxyapatite (HAp) as the dynamic junction points. In detail, the dynamically cross-linked network, including multiple physical interactions, provides it with rapid self-healing ability and excellent mechanical properties (elongation at break (>1200%), tensile strength (174kPa), and resilience (92.61%)). Besides, the ions (Cl-, Li+, Ca2+) that move freely within the system impart outstanding electrical conductivity (2.46±0.15 S m-1), high sensitivity (gauge factor, GF>8), good antifreeze (-40.2°C), and humidity properties. The assembled sensor can be employed to sensitively detect various large human motions and subtle changes in behavior (facial expressions, speech recognition). Meanwhile, the hydrogel sensor can also degrade in phosphate-buffered saline solution without causing any environmental pollution. Therefore, the designed hydrogels may become a promising candidate material in the future potential applications for smart wearable sensors and electronic skin.

Fluorine polyimide nanofibrous composites with outstanding piezoelectric property for human motion monitoring

The limited high-temperature resistance of conventional piezoelectric polymers remains an extremely arduous obstacle to fabricate a flexible sensor that meets the practical application in extreme environments. In this paper, the fluorine-containing polyimide (FPI) nanofiber membrane was prepared by electrospinning and further encapsulated with FPI resin into a flexible and wearable piezoelectric sensor. The influence of fluorine-containing monomer content on the mechanical properties, heat resistance, and piezoelectric properties of FPI nanofiber composite membranes was systematically investigated. The fabricated samples show outstanding thermal stability with Tg of 247℃-262℃ and Td5% of 570℃. The composite also displays a low dielectric constant (2.25–3.5) and dielectric loss (0.004–0.01), respectively. It is particularly noteworthy that the prepared fluorine-containing PI nanofiber membrane exhibits excellent piezoelectric properties. The output voltage of CPI-100 can reach up to 7 V with fast response / recovery time (16 ms / 7 ms) and exceptional durability (10,000 cycles). Moreover, the prepared CPI nanofiber composite membrane sensor can effectively detect bending and pressuresignals, which can be applied to motion and pressure monitoring. We found a new kind of substrate with outstanding piezoelectric and provided a novel strategy for developing high-temperature resistant flexible self-powered piezoelectric sensors in wearable electronics.

Triboelectric nanogenerator based on well-dispersed and oxide-free liquid metal-doped conductive hydrogel as self-powered wearable sensor for respiratory and thyroid cartilage signal monitoring

The poor dispersibility and easy surface oxidation of liquid metal (LM) significantly reduce the conductivity, mechanical property and stability of the composite hydrogels, thereby affecting their sensing performance. Herein, a well-dispersed and oxide-free LM-doped conductive double network (DN) hydrogel (CMC/P(AA-co-DAC)/NaCl-LM) is successfully prepared by employing bio-macromolecules (carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and double-bond functionalized CMC (CMC-AGE crosslinker) encapsulated oxide-free LM droplet at acidic condition as the first network and poly(acrylic acid-co-acryloyloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride) (P(AA-co-DAC)) as the second network under the presence of NaCl. In this hydrogel, the multiple interactions and the synergistic effect between two interpenetrating networks insures multifunctional features of the hydrogels. As a result, the composite hydrogel exhibits superior mechanical properties (stress of 389.81 kPa and strain of 2866.44%) and high conductivity (5.27S/m). Subsequently, a triboelectric nanogenerator (CPL-TENG) is constructed using the composite hydrogel as electrode material, which displayed an excellent electrical out performance (VOC of 223.32V, ISC of 9.78 μA, QSC of 82.33 nC, and power density of 4.30W/m2) and highly-sensitive (pressure sensitivity of 0.268 kPa-1). Eventually, the as-fabricated CPL-TENG as a self-powered sensor for respiratory signal monitoring and machine learning-assisted language recognition is described and its great potential in wearable electronics and energy supply devices is foreseen.

High-performance flexible and broadband photodetectors on paper substrates using FeSnS bimetallic sulfide nanosheets

Advancements in technology have made it easier to construct flexible broadband photodetectors for wearable devices, improving light harvesting and detecting capabilities. This work described a new study that used bimetallic sulfide nanosheets (FeSnS) to produce flexible and broadband photodetectors on paper substrates using hand-print method. A simple, economical, one-step hydrothermal technique was employed to synthesise FeSnS materials, which were characterised using XRD, UV–Vis Spectroscopy, FESEM, EDS, XPS, and UPS. Photodetection tests found that 2-FeSnS (Fe at 2 wt%) outperformed similar work on paper-based devices, with a responsivity of 32.4 mA/W under a 470 nm incident wavelength, high specific detectivity, and a response time of 1.16 s. Durability and flexibility testing validated the robustness of the device. The use of a simple hydrothermal synthesis and hand-print fabrication method to create high-performance, eco-friendly, and flexible photodetectors is novel, expanding their potential applications in wearable electronics, environmental monitoring, and low-cost disposable sensing platforms.

Stretchable carbon nanotube/Ecoflex conductive elastomer films toward multifunctional wearable electronics

Conductive elastomer films (CEFs) have found widespread applications toward flexible electronics and wearable devices. Silicones are particularly advantageous for fabricating high-performance CEFs. However, processing silicone/conductive filler composite prepolymers is challenging because of their high viscosity, especially when incorporating nanofillers like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that can greatly increase the viscosity of silicone prepolymers. Herein, we present a simple, facile and versatile hexane-assisted air-spraying method for fabricating silicone-based CEFs from Ecoflex and CNTs. This method allows for processing CNT/Ecoflex prepolymers with CNT concentrations of 0.5 ∼ 5 wt%, resulting in stretchable CEFs with controllable structural, mechanical and electrical properties. We leveraged the distinct advantages of CNT/Ecoflex CEFs, including the excellent mechanoelectrical sensitivity, workable strain range and elasticity of the CNT1/Ecoflex group, and the high conductivity and low mechanoelectrical sensitivity of the CNT5/Ecoflex group. These properties enable their multifunctional applications as wearable and waterproof resistive strain sensors, multilayered capacitive pressure sensors, and wearable electric heaters. This work provides valuable insights into the development of high-performance and multifunctional silicone-based composite materials for advanced wearable electronics.

Humidity-induced self-powered photodetection through Bi2Te3/MoS2 nanohybrid material deposited on a flexible substrate

Harvesting energy from humidity is an environmentally friendly technology. In arid regions, instead of negative impact of humidity, it is also feasible to capture water from the air, making our device suitable without the need for any external power supply. Self-powered photodetectors are in high demand due to their low power consumption and suitability for wearable electronics. Herein, we have incorporated Bi2Te3 nanosheets with MoS2 on a flexible and biodegradable cellulose paper substrate to create the device. According to XPS analysis, Bi 4F7/2 and Bi 4F5/2 levels were identified at binding energies of 157.62 eV and 162.90 eV, respectively indicating double splitting of the Bi atoms. In such a novel Bi2Te3/MoS2 nanohybrid photodetector, rapid electron transfer at Bi2Te3 and MoS2 interface occurs due to humidity, significantly enhancing performance of the photodetectors in the UV spectral range. This performance is better as compared to conventional MoS2-based photodetector, exploiting the unique properties of topological insulator Bi2Te3. The device demonstrated the highest responsivity of 19.1 A/W and detectivity of 7.81×1011 Jones, exhibiting significant responsivity of 3.74 mA/W and detectivity of 9.59×109 Jones even at 0 V with minimum optical signal of 68.9 μW/cm2. It also offers the highest external quantum efficiency of 6471.29%.