A Facile Strategy for Textile‐Based Highly Sensitive and Water‐Resistant Triboelectric Nanogenerator
Anqi Shi, Bin Luo, Wendi Liu, Wenjing Chen, Zhengquan Li, Shilong Wang, Ligang Jiang, Hongnan Zhang, Xiaohong Qin, Wei Sun
Abstract
The demand for real-time physiological monitoring drives innovation in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). TENGs offer promise for real-time dynamic monitoring, but they are often complicated to manufacture, have low sensitivity, and are easily disturbed by ambient humidity. Herein, a fabric-based integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (F-TENG) is developed, employing waterborne polyurethane (WPU) as both a water-resistant encapsulation and friction layer, and polypyrrole (PPy) as a friction and conductive layer. This design simplifies the fabrication process while simultaneously improving the device's resistance to environmental factors. The micro-filament structure enables localized contact-separation during deformation, initiating the triboelectric effect, while the 3D architecture amplifies local strain, further enhancing sensitivity to weak signals. F-TENG demonstrates effective voltage output during carotid and respiratory monitoring, highlighting its capability to detect subtle physiological signals. Furthermore, F-TENG maintains stable performance under humid conditions, retaining 78.78% of its output voltage as relative humidity increased from 20% to 80%. When implants in the moist environment of a rat's leg, F-TENG exhibits a notable output of 21 V. In addition, the inherent antibacterial properties of F-TENG further enhance its application potential. These findings position F-TENG as a robust and versatile platform for dynamic monitoring, wearable electronics, and integrated diagnostic and therapeutic systems.