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Energy harvesting technology can convert environmental mechanical, light, and thermal energy into electricity, making it particularly suitable for providing sustainable supplementary power to wearable wireless sensors (e.g., motion monitoring and rehabilitation training devices). This technology has the potential to reduce reliance on batteries. Fiber-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are regarded as a key solution for self-powered wearable electronics due to their excellent flexibility, wearing comfort, and efficient collection of low-frequency human motion energy. However, improving output performance and energy management efficiency without sacrificing comfort remains a critical challenge for high-power consumption device applications.
Addressing this, Assistant Professor Huang Qiyao’s team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University published their latest research, "A Permeable Triboelectric Fiber Mat with 35 V/cm² Voltage Output for Wearable Wireless Sensing Electronics," in the journal Small. The team developed a permeable triboelectric nanogenerator (pTENG) based on a fiber mat, achieving a voltage output exceeding 35 V/cm². The high performance is attributed to the uniform distribution of liquid metal nanoparticles in the electrospun composite fiber membrane, significantly enhancing its dielectric constant. With a specially designed energy management module, the pTENG-driven self-powered system achieved a charging speed 10 times faster than traditional rectifiers.
As a proof of concept, the team integrated the pTENG with an energy management module, temperature sensor, and wireless transmitter into smart clothing, enabling a self-powered wireless temperature sensing system that transmits real-time data to a relay terminal. This integrated solution reduces dependence on external power while enabling real-time wireless health monitoring, demonstrating pTENG’s potential in personalized healthcare and body area networks.
Fig. 1: Fabrication and characterization of the permeable TENG (pTENG) using LM-embedded PVDF-TrFE composite fiber membranes (LMPT).
The pTENG consists of liquid metal (LM)-doped PVDF-TrFE electrospun composite fibers combined with nickel fabric electrodes to form a breathable TENG for stable power supply to wireless sensing devices (Fig. 1a). SEM and TEM images confirm the uniform distribution of LM particles in the fiber network, ensuring structural integrity (Fig. 1b-g). Additionally, the porous fiber membrane provides excellent breathability (up to 24 mm/s) and moisture permeability (780 g/m²/day), comparable to conventional PET fabrics, balancing comfort and functionality.
Fig. 2: Enhanced electrical output of LMPT-based pTENG.
pTENGs with varying LM concentrations exhibit significant differences in output performance (Fig. 2a-d), influenced by increased dielectric constant (Fig. 2e) and changes in interlayer capacitance (Fig. 2f). The optimal electrical output occurs at 1 wt% LM content. Thinner LMPT layers and greater contact force further enhance performance (Fig. 2g-h).
Fig. 3: Efficient energy management of pTENG.
When scaled to 25 cm², the pTENG achieves a maximum output of 825 V, 120 nC charge, and 15 µA current (Fig. 3a-c). Under a 60 MΩ load, it delivers 2.8 mW peak power and 229 µW average power (Fig. 3d), maintaining stable voltage over 15,000 cycles (Fig. 3e). The energy management module enables 10× faster charging than conventional rectifiers (Fig. 3f-g).
Fig. 4: Application of pTENG in self-powered wireless temperature monitoring.
In a practical demonstration, the self-powered smart clothing system collected kinetic energy during running and wirelessly transmitted temperature data to a receiver 20–30 m away (Fig. 4a-b). Treadmill tests quantified power generation and sensing performance at different speeds (Fig. 4c), validating its potential for personalized healthcare monitoring.
Paper link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202504556
