Fully weft-faced fabric architectures enable triboelectric nanogenerators with high-performance energy harvesting and motion sensing

Abstract

Advancements in wearable technology are revolutionizing health monitoring, human-machine interaction, and environmental sensing, enabling seamless integration into daily life. However, the development of truly autonomous and reliable wearable electronics remains hindered by limited material longevity, safety concerns, and high production costs. Here, we present a fully weft-faced structured fabric-based triboelectric nanogenerator (FWSF-TENG) for wearable energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. Utilizing a weaving technique, we construct a densely packed, weft-dominated matrix of nylon filaments and silver-plated nylon yarns, integrated with a laminated composite of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) embedded with barium titanate nanoparticles and a copper-nickel fabric electrode. This robust, multilayered architecture is engineered to enhance triboelectric performance, maximizing contact area to ensure efficient charge transfer and stable output under diverse mechanical deformations. The FWSF-TENG demonstrates remarkable electrical performance, including a high-power density of 2408.70 mW m⁻² and excellent air permeability of 603 mm s⁻¹, while maintaining stable performance after 10 wash cycles and over 60 000 operation cycles with skin compatibility. Its lightweight and breathable design allows seamless integration into smart textiles such as trousers and insoles, enabling real-time wireless activity detection and comprehensive gait analysis. Overall, this work offers a safe, durable, and cost-effective platform for next-generation smart textiles with strong potential in personalized health monitoring, accident prevention, and daily safety enhancement.