Anti-swelling textile power generator with 1D nanoscale channel alignment in nanofiber/graphene hybrid yarns

Abstract

Perspiration transpiration-induced electrical generator offers an innovative solution for developing self-powered intelligent textiles, enabling the seamless integration of emerging technologies into daily routine, however their performance is often constrained by inefficient water transport in tortuous channels and structural instability caused by water swelling. Inspired by vascular bundle in Neottopteris antiqua, a nanoassembly strategy is proposed to fabricate nanofiber/nanosheet hybrid yarn through bath electrospinning. The yarn exhibited an excellent 1D oriented nanoscale channel structure and exceptional weaving ability. Subsequent functionalization strategies imparting cross-linking feature to the nanofiber/graphene yarn yielded consistent structure and remarkable water anti-swelling capability, maintaining structural stability even after 10 days of water immersion. Further assembled into a TEG, a single 4-cm-long yarn demonstrated the output voltage of 295 mV and current of 1.82 µA in a water environment, which increased to 360.4 mV and 2.57 µA under simulated perspiration conditions. When configured into a waterproof fabric through series-parallel connection of 62-cm yarns, an enhanced output voltage of 1.85 V is achieved, sufficiently powering small electronic devices such as lamp bead and display screen. This study highlights the yarns’ remarkable potential for robust and efficient applications in next-generation self-powered intelligent textiles.