Flexible fiber based woven structured triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered system

Woven-structured or textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can convert mechanical energy generated from human activities into electrical energy, which can then be used as an efficient power source for portable and wearable devices. However, previously developed woven-structured TENGs have poor stretchability, and fibers with multiple strands are required for weaving. In this paper, we propose a fiber-based woven-structured TENG (WTENG) having high elasticity and flexibility. The proposed WTENG generates an electrical output of similar to 34.4 mu W/cm(2) by the continuous contact with and separation from human skin, and we confirm its durability and applicability to wearable devices. We believe that the proposed WTENG can be applied to various products, such as smart clothing, as well as to wearable energy harvesting devices because it can be manufactured on a large scale.