Highly Comfortable and Durable Single-Layer Knitted Textile-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Smart Wearable Applications

Amidst the global quest for sustainable energy solutions, there have been endeavors to revolutionize energy-harvesting methods, opening pathways to innovative approaches that tap into the inherent potential of natural sources. The integrated textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator (T-TENG) offers a viable solution to harness human mechanical energy through the clothing. T-TENG has shown several advantages, including flexibility, lightweight, and conformability, for wearable applications. Herein, knitting engineering is utilized for the precise positioning of triboelectric (nylon and polypropylene (PP)) and electrode materials (copper-blended yarn) within the fabric structure for the fabrication of T-TENG. A combination of rib, single jersey, and derivatives of rib knitting techniques was employed to create different tribo structures, namely, 1R1C, pocket, plating, and ridge. The ridge and plated structures showed the highest performance with a peak power density of 110 and 45 μW/m², respectively. Both structures demonstrated excellent air and water vapor permeability and a stable output up to 12,000 cycles of contact separation with excellent long-term durability. The study strongly affirms that the use of commodity textile materials and modifying the structural features of the knitted fabric have significant potential to produce renewable power sources for wearable electronic gadgets.