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

With 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 (V-OC) and short-circuit current (I-SC) can reach nearly 12 V and 0.36 mu A, 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.