Towards truly wearable energy harvesters with full structural integrity of fiber materials

Abstract

Through full flexible realization of a new energy harvesting mode using only common fiber materials as active components by adopting a computerized knitting programme strategy, herein we developed a new kind of all-textile energy harvesters (A-TEHs) with a three-dimensional fabric structural integrity that can harvest and convert mechanical energy to electricity directly. The electric performance of obtained A-TEHs working at a single-electrode mode was extraordinary, which can generate a maximum power density of 1768.2 mW m−2 by 1200 N at a matched resistance load of 50 MΩ, and directly light up over 320 LEDs instantaneously by a single impact with an effective area of only 56.7 cm2. When A-TEH was used to charge a 200 µF commercial capacitor storage device with a bridge rectifier, its charging capacity increased with the triggering force, ranging from 6.7 mV s−1 at 100 N to 11.3 mV s−1 at 1400 N. Benefiting from the full structural integrity of fiber materials, A-TEHs, for the first time, truly realized the excellent textile properties that all wearable electronics try to achieve, including safety, lightweight, comfort, breathability, washability, and unique advantage of tailorability, leading to a kind of truly wearable energy harvesters with versatile product designability.