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The development of wearable and large-area fabric energy harvester and sensor has received great attention due to their promising applications in next-generation autonomous and wearable healthcare technologies. Here, a new type of 'single' thread-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and its uses in elastically textile-based energy harvesting and sensing have been demonstrated. The energy-harvesting thread composed by one silicone-rubber-coated stainless-steel thread can extract energy during contact with skin. With sewing the energy-harvesting thread into a serpentine shape on an elastic textile, a highly stretchable and scalable TENG textile is realized to scavenge various kinds of human-motion energy. The collected energy is capable to sustainably power a commercial smart watch. Moreover, the simplified single triboelectric thread can be applied in a wide range of thread-based self-powered and active sensing uses, including gesture sensing, human-interactive interfaces, and human physiological signal monitoring. After integration with microcontrollers, more complicated systems, such as wireless wearable keyboards and smart beds, are demonstrated. These results show that the newly designed single-thread-based TENG, with the advantage of interactive, responsive, sewable, and conformal features, can meet application needs of a vast variety of fields, ranging from wearable and stretchable energy harvesters to smart cloth-based articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water waves are increasingly regarded as a promising source for large-scale energy applications. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been recognized as one of the most promising approaches for harvesting wave energy. This work examines a freestanding, fully enclosed TENG that encloses a rolling ball inside a rocking spherical shell. Through the optimization of materials and structural parameters, a spherical TENG of 6 cm in diameter actuated by water waves can provide a peak current of 1 μA over a wide load range from a short-circuit condition to 10 GΩ, with an instantaneous output power of up to 10 mW. A multielectrode arrangement is also studied to improve the output of the TENG under random wave motions from all directions. Moreover, at a frequency of 1.43 Hz, the wave-driven TENG can directly drive tens of LEDs and charge a series of supercapacitors to rated voltage within several hours. The stored energy can power an electronic thermometer for 20 min. This rolling-structured TENG is extremely lightweight, has a simple structure, and is capable of rocking on or in water to harvest wave energy; it provides an innovative and effective approach toward large-scale blue energy harvesting of oceans and lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stretchable-rubber-based (SR-based) triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is developed that can not only harvest energy but also serve as self-powered multifunctional sensors. It consists of a layer of elastic rubber and a layer of aluminum film that acts as the electrode. By stretching and releasing the rubber, the changes of triboelectric charge distribution/density on the rubber surface relative to the aluminum surface induce alterations to the electrical potential of the aluminum electrode, leading to an alternating charge flow between the aluminum electrode and the ground. The unique working principle of the SR-based TENG is verified by the coupling of numerical calculations and experimental measurements. A comprehensive study is carried out to investigate the factors that may influence the output performance of the SR-based TENG. By integrating the devices into a sensor system, it is capable of detecting movements in different directions. Moreover, the SR-based TENG can be attached to a human body to detect diaphragm breathing and joint motion. This work largely expands the applications of TENG not only as effective power sources but also as active sensors; and opens up a new prospect in future electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motion tracking is of great importance in a wide range of fields such as automation, robotics, security, sports and entertainment. Here, a self-powered, single-electrode-based triboelectric sensor (TES) is reported to accurately detect the movement of a moving object/body in two dimensions. Based on the coupling of triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction, the movement of an object on the top surface of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer induces changes in the electrical potential of the patterned aluminum electrodes underneath. From the measurements of the output performance (open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current), the motion information about the object, such as trajectory, velocity, and acceleration is derived in conformity with the preset values. Moreover, the TES can detect motions of more than one objects moving at the same time. In addition, applications of the TES are demonstrated by using LED illuminations as real-time indicators to visualize the movement of a sliding object and the walking steps of a person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerators (SETENGs) significantly expand the application of triboelectric nanogenerators in various circumstances, such as touch-pad technologies. In this work, a theoretical model of SETENGs is presented with in-depth interpretation and analysis of their working principle. Electrostatic shield effect from the primary electrode is the main consideration in the design of such SETENGs. On the basis of this analysis, the impacts of two important structural parameters, that is, the electrode gap distance and the area size, on the output performance are theoretically investigated. An optimized electrode gap distance and an optimized area size are observed to provide a maximum transit output power. Parallel connection of multiple SETENGs with micro-scale size and relatively larger spacing should be utilized as the scaling-up strategy. The discussion of the basic working principle and the influence of structural parameters on the whole performance of the device can serve as an important guidance for rational design of the device structure towards the optimum output in specific applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]