Piezoelectric Nanofunctionality Integratedinto Advanced Textiles for Energy Harvesting

The fast development of low power electronics demands for the invention of convenient energy sources. A promising solution to this new problem is the harvesting of energy from biomechanical movements. This mini review presents the basics to an alternative way of harvesting energy from mechanical strain through the piezoelectric effect. Some recent advances on functional textiles are presented and in the concluding section possible applications and challenges to the wearable generator field are discussed. The rapid development and availability of low-power electronics demands for the invention of compact and convenient energy sources. A promising solution to this matter is the use of functional textiles to harvest energy from biomechanical movements [1]. Functional textiles are textiles that can produce a practical outcome when there is a detectable change in their surroundings. The resultant response could be chemical, electric, thermal or some other type [2]. In this review some smart textiles and their ability to convert a mechanical stimulus into electrical energy will be discussed in addition to some possible applications for their energy harvesting capabilities.