The team's textile fabric can generate energy and store it for later use. (Image Credit: Nano Research Energy (2023). DOI: 10.26599/NRE.2023.9120079)
Nanoscientists created fiber-TENG, a three-layered flexible, wearable textile that converts body movement into electricity, which then gets stored. This fabric could be applicable for everyday use cases, including medical monitoring, performance tracking for athletes, and smart displays on clothing.
Their fiber-TENG structure is made up of a polylactic acid layer (3D printing polyester material), a reduced graphene oxide layer (low-cost graphene), and a polypyrrole layer (a polymer commonly used in medicine and electronics). It also takes advantage of the triboelectric effect, which causes electrification in a material after it frictionally contacts a different one.
So if a wearer bends or stretches this textile-based clothing, then the triboelectric charges produced by the contact between the polylactic acid and reduced graphene oxide layers can be collected by the polypyrrole layer. As a result, the electrical output can work like a power generation unit.
The team used a process to prepare the graphene oxide fiber for use in a coaxial fiber-shaped supercapacitor integrated into the textile. The coaxial structure offers stability when bending and twisting. The scientists placed active materials atop the surface of the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) fibers. The first step involved creating the rGO fibers through a hydroiodic acid application. Afterward, they placed manganese dioxide and polypyrrole on the rGO fibers' surface via electrodeposition.
This resulted in an rGO-PPy-MnO2 negative electrode material for the fiber-SC. The researchers then produced a positive electrode material by coating multi-walled carbon nanotubes with polyvinyl alcohol and phosphoric acid electrolyte on the rGO-PPy-MnO2 surface. After testing their fiber-TENG textile, the team discovered it prefers high energy density and long stability compared to charge/discharge cycles. That boosts its potential for wearable energy generation and storage.
The researchers are currently looking into real-world use cases for this textile. First, they must optimize the design and fabrication process, observe its performance under various conditions, and develop a scalable manufacturing process that works in commercial settings.
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