Recent Advances in Wearable Textile-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Abstract

We review recent results on textile triboelectric nanogenerators (T-TENGs), which function both as harvesters of mechanical energy and self-powered motion sensors. T-TENGs can be flexible, breathable, and lightweight. With a combination of traditional and novel manufacturing methods, including nanofibers, T-TENGs can deliver promising power output. We review the evolution of T-TENG device structures based on various textile material configurations and fabrication methods, along with demonstrations of self-powered systems. We also provide a detailed analysis of different textile materials and approaches used to enhance output. Additionally, we discuss integration capabilities with supercapacitors and potential applications across various fields such as health monitoring, human activity monitoring, human–machine interaction applications, etc. This review concludes by addressing the challenges and key research questions that remain for developing viable T-TENG technology.

Keywords

• triboelectric nanogenerators
• smart textiles
• nanofibers
• wearable electronics
• human motion energy harvesting