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Waterproof, Breathable, and Antibacterial Self‐Powered e‐Textiles Based on Omniphobic Triboelectric Nanogenerators
Author(s) -
Sala de Medeiros Marina,
Chanci Daniela,
Moreno Carolina,
Goswami Debkalpa,
Martinez Ramses V.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201904350
Subject(s) - triboelectric effect , materials science , textile , nanotechnology , wearable technology , wearable computer , composite material , computer science , embedded system
Multifunctional electronic textiles (e‐textiles) incorporating miniaturized electronic devices will pave the way toward a new generation of wearable devices and human–machine interfaces. Unfortunately, the development of e‐textiles is subject to critical challenges, such as battery dependence, breathability, satisfactory washability, and compatibility with mass production techniques. This work describes a simple and cost‐effective method to transform conventional garments and textiles into waterproof, breathable, and antibacterial e‐textiles for self‐powered human–machine interfacing. Combining embroidery with the spray‐based deposition of fluoroalkylated organosilanes and highly networked nanoflakes, omniphobic triboelectric nanogenerators (R F ‐TENGs) can be incorporated into any fiber‐based textile to power wearable devices using energy harvested from human motion. R F ‐TENGs are thin, flexible, breathable (air permeability 90.5 mm s −1 ), inexpensive to fabricate (<0.04$ cm −2 ), and capable of producing a high power density (600 µW cm −2 ). E‐textiles based on R F ‐TENGs repel water, stains, and bacterial growth, and show excellent stability under mechanical deformations and remarkable washing durability under standard machine‐washing tests. Moreover, e‐textiles based on R F ‐TENGs are compatible with large‐scale production processes and exhibit high sensitivity to touch, enabling the cost‐effective manufacturing of wearable human–machine interfaces.