Textile Manufacturing Compatible Triboelectric Nanogenerator with Alternating Positive and Negative Freestanding Grating Structure

This paper demonstrates a novel design of textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which is compatible with standard textile manufacturing. The device can convert kinetic energy occurring during frictional contact between two dissimilar materials into electricity based on contact electrification and the electrostatic induction effect. The TENG can generate an RMS open-circuit voltage of 136 V, an RMS short-circuit current of 2.68 µA and a maximum RMS power of 125 µW (38.8 mW/m2). To demonstrate practical applications, the TENG was embedded into a lab coat. The energy is generated from the relative movement between the arm and torso. Its output was used to drive a digital watch, a wearable night-time warning indicator for pedestrians, a wireless transmitter and a pedometer.