Self‐Sustainable Wearable Textile Nano‐Energy Nano‐System (NENS) for Next‐Generation Healthcare Applications

TLDR

Wearable electronics envision healthcare monitoring beyond hospitals, requiring self‑powered sensors, and textile‑based triboelectric nanogenerators can harvest body‑motion energy but their low output limits practical use. The study aims to enhance triboelectric output by integrating a narrow‑gap textile TENG with a high‑voltage diode and a textile switch. This enhancement is achieved by coupling the narrow‑gap TENG textile to a high‑voltage diode and a textile‑based switch in a closed‑loop configuration. The resulting diode‑enhanced textile TENG delivers a 25‑fold current increase, maintains moderate output under random scrunching, can directly stimulate rat muscle and nerve, and successfully powers Bluetooth humidity and temperature sensors, demonstrating a viable self‑sustainable wearable textile nano‑energy system for next‑generation healthcare.

Abstract

Wearable electronics presage a future in which healthcare monitoring and rehabilitation are enabled beyond the limitation of hospitals, and self-powered sensors and energy generators are key prerequisites for a self-sustainable wearable system. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on textiles can be an optimal option for scavenging low-frequency and irregular waste energy from body motions as a power source for self-sustainable systems. However, the low output of most textile-based TENGs (T-TENGs) has hindered its way toward practical applications. In this work, a facile and universal strategy to enhance the triboelectric output is proposed by integration of a narrow-gap TENG textile with a high-voltage diode and a textile-based switch. The closed-loop current of the diode-enhanced textile-based TENG (D-T-TENG) can be increased by 25 times. The soft, flexible, and thin characteristics of the D-T-TENG enable a moderate output even as it is randomly scrunched. Furthermore, the enhanced current can directly stimulate rat muscle and nerve. In addition, the capability of the D-T-TENG as a practical power source for wearable sensors is demonstrated by powering Bluetooth sensors embedded to clothes for humidity and temperature sensing. Looking forward, the D-T-TENG renders an effective approach toward a self-sustainable wearable textile nano-energy nano-system for next-generation healthcare applications.