Study of knitted-based triboelectric nanogenerators in bending and stretching motion

Abstract

Textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators have become a growing research trend due to its tremendous potential to harvest biomechanical energy. The knitted textile fabric with its excellent conformability follows the close proximity of the human body limbs, the textile TENG can harvest the electrical energy from mechanical energy generated during the various contact-separation movements during sliding, tapping, bending, and stretching motions. To exploit the potential of textile TENG further, the current study analyses the performance of Ridge and plated knit TENG in bending and stretching contact-separation mode. The results depict the stretching and bending movements change the structural surface roughness, which contributes to the change in the electrical output when the intensity of bending and stretching is altered. The results show that ridge structure achieved a peak power density of 0.27 µW/m² in the stretching mode and 0.36 µW/m² in the bending mode. The knit TENG, integrated into an arm sleeve, was tested for its potential in monitoring movements during exercise rehabilitation, analyzing output voltage waveforms to assess and optimize recovery exercises.