Stretchable 3D kirigami-structured textiles for high-performance wearable energy harvesting and self-powered sensing

Abstract

Bio-mechanical energy from human motion is considered as one of the most ubiquitous, free, and sustainable resources, which has led to the development of wearable energy harvesting devices such as triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). However, generating excellent energy outputs while achieving high wearing comfort for wearable TENGs has long been a major challenge. In this study, we introduce a novel stretchable kirigami-structured textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator (SKS-TENG) that adopts a simple and economical kirigami approach. Owing to its special kirigami structure, the contact-separation efficiency of the surface is significantly improved, which can generate more charging output. The SKS-TENG has a unique repetitively stretchable structure and achieves amazing electrical performance with a power density of 3380 mW m−2, which are several times higher than most existing textile-based TENGs. Even after twenty cycles of washing, it can still maintain stable electrical performance and has an impressive durability that can withstand more than 10,000 cycles. In addition, SKS-TENG is also assembled with clothing, which can power small electronic devices and light up 1636 LEDs on clothing. The excellent power generation performance of SKS-TENG demonstrates its great potential for future development in human motion energy harvesting, wearable electronic devices and smart textile applications.