A Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on TPU/MXene/Carbon for Heart Rate and Tai Chi Posture Monitoring

Recently, the electronic skin (E-skin) based on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) has exhibited enormous potential in smart sports. However, TENGs device installed on human body usually faces challenges in complex mechanical environments. Here, we proposed a flexible TPU/MXene/carbon conductive electrode and combined with PDMS to prepare triboelectric nanogenerator (PT-TENG) to harvest mechanical energy. Moreover, to demonstrate the application of PT-TENG in smart sports, we can use it to monitor the posture changes of human joints during Tai Chi exercise and heart rate. The transfer charge (Q_sc) of PT-TENG can arrive at 104.65 nC, which is superior to the output performance produced by using traditional metal aluminum foil to prepare TENG device. The PT-TENG can obtain the maximum output power of 132.34 μW under the working frequency 2 Hz. The experimental results show that PT-TENG installed on the fingers, wrists, and knees of the human body can effectively perceive the bending angle of joints, which is very meaningful for evaluating the posture of movements in Tai Chi training. This research provide an effective path to promote the application of the self-powered E-skin based on TENG device on the smart sport field.