Development of wearable triboelectric Nanogenerators using optimised knitted structures

Abstract

The rapid development of portable and wearable electronic devices has increased the demand for sustainable, low-maintenance, and lightweight power-supplying methods. One of the leading technologies in fabricating such power-supplying methods is triboelectric nanogenerators, which can be used to generate electricity using human motion. Triboelectric nanogenerator works on contact electrification and electrostatic induction, and a plethora of fabrication techniques have been used in the fabrication of triboelectric nanogenerators. One such technique is knitting technology, which is one of the major textile fabrication methods. In this research, the effect of different knitting parameters and knitted structures on electrical performance of triboelectric nanogenerators were evaluated. The knitting parameters considered are stitch length and yarn count, and knitted structures considered are single jersey, rib, and interlock. Based on the results obtained, a wearable knitted sensor was fabricated using nylon 66 and silver as triboelectric surfaces. This sensor was able to identify finger bendings and tappings. Moreover, the durability of the electrical outputs of the knitted sensor was evaluated by studying the behavior of the conductive fabric’s resistance when subjected to washing and abrading. The wearable performance of the triboelectric sensor was studied by measuring the air permeability and abrasion resistance of different sections of the sensor. Finally, the capability of using the sensing fabric for IoT applications was explained.