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Highlights: Naturally crosslinked carbonaceous liquid metal aqueous printable ink mediated by biopolymers. E-textile with conductivity, stability, wearability, and aesthetic characteristics. Multi-applications in health monitoring, pressure sensing, and energy harvesting. Achieving flexible electronics with comfort and durability comparable to traditional textiles is one of the ultimate pursuits of smart wearables. Ink printing is desirable for e-textile development using a simple and inexpensive process. However, fabricating high-performance atop textiles with good dispersity, stability, biocompatibility, and wearability for high-resolution, large-scale manufacturing, and practical applications has remained challenging. Here, water-based multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-decorated liquid metal (LM) inks are proposed with carbonaceous gallium–indium micro-nanostructure. With the assistance of biopolymers, the sodium alginate-encapsulated LM droplets contain high carboxyl groups which non-covalently crosslink with silk sericin-mediated MWCNTs. E-textile can be prepared subsequently via printing technique and natural waterproof triboelectric coating, enabling good flexibility, hydrophilicity, breathability, wearability, biocompatibility, conductivity, stability, and excellent versatility, without any artificial chemicals. The obtained e-textile can be used in various applications with designable patterns and circuits. Multi-sensing applications of recognizing complex human motions, breathing, phonation, and pressure distribution are demonstrated with repeatable and reliable signals. Self-powered and energy-harvesting capabilities are also presented by driving electronic devices and lighting LEDs. As proof of concept, this work provides new opportunities in a scalable and sustainable way to develop novel wearable electronics and smart clothing for future commercial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of fibrous energy harvesters and self‐powered sensors gives birth to functional wearable electronics. However, low power outputs, poor sensing abilities, and limited material selections have greatly restricted their developments. Herein, novel polycation‐modified carbon dots (PCDs) tailored PCDs/polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite polymer electrolytes (NPEs) are prepared and used as dominating triboelectric materials to construct a new NPEs‐based fiber triboelectric nanogenerator (NPE‐TENG) for the first time. The filling of PCDs endows NPEs with enhanced ionic conductivity. The developed NPE‐TENG can respond to different mechanical stimuli with excellent flexibility and deliver a high power density of 265.8 µW m−1. Self‐powered wearable sensor and smart glove based on NPE‐TENG are further developed, which can achieve skin‐level tactile sensing and joint‐related activities monitoring in a rapid, real‐time, and noninvasive way. As a sustainable power source, the NPE‐TENG can drive small electronics and light up hundreds of light‐emitting diodes. This study not only renders new insights into the development of triboelectric materials for fiber‐based TENG but also provides a direction for potential applications of fibrous biomechanical energy harvesters and self‐powered sensors in wearable electronics, personal healthcare monitoring, and human–machine interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Surface-modified liquid metal nanocapsules (NCs) are synthesized. • NCs are incorporated with polymers to fabricate diverse flexible NCs composites. • NCs offer more polarization interfaces and enhance dielectric properties. • Good interfacial compatibility and enhanced triboelectric outputs are achieved. • Applications are demonstrated for wearable energy harvesting and sensing. Liquid metal (LM) has been widely used as flexible electrodes for triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). However, the development of high-performance triboelectric composites based on LM droplets is still challenging due to the mismatched surface tension. Here, copolymer surface-modified LM nanocapsules (CPLM NCs) with core–shell structure are successfully synthesized via two-step method containing chelation reaction and in situ free-radical polymerization. The as-synthesized NCs can be incorporated into various polymers to fabricate diverse flexible polymer/NCs nanocomposites. Based on surface engineering, CPLM will not leak and drop off from nanocomposites when they suffer severe deformations, exhibiting good interfacial compatibility and robust mechanical properties. The introduction of NCs can improve the charge storage capability and electric outputs of various nanocomposites owing to more interfacial polarization sites, showing a versatile strategy for manufacturing high-powered triboelectric composites. The optimized polydimethylsiloxane/NCs-based TENG (PDMS/NCs-TENG) delivers a significant enhancement of power density by 28.3-fold and can availably power wearable electronics. PDMS/NCs-TENG can be also developed as a wearable self-powered sensor to detect physiological signals and joint-related motions in a real-time, rapid, and noninvasive way. This work not only renders a versatile strategy for the development of high-performance triboelectric materials but also provides a sustainable energy solution for wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new kind of 3D double-electrode textile triboelectric nanogenerators (3D-FTENG) with integrated positive and negative triboelectric materials and electrode materials was designed and developed by the coated core-spun yarn and programmable spacer fabric technologies. The 3D-FTENG exhibited excellent electric properties with high durability, good air-permeability and washability, demonstrating its great potential in realizing industrial-scale production and practical applications in biomechanical energy harvesting and real-time sensing. [Display omitted] • A 3D double-electrode textile TENG was proposed and developed. • Integration of coated core-spun yarn and programmable spacer fabric technologies. • Different intermediate structures of the fabric TENG were designed and studied. • Excellent electric properties with high air permeability, washability and durability. • Application potentials for biomechanical energy harvesting and real-time sensing. Textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (T-TENGs) have attracted much attention nowadays because of their excellent flexibility and wearability in biomechanical energy harvesting and sensing. However, T-TENGs prepared by current methods of layer-by-layer stacking, stitching, or coating on the surface of fabric still have some problems such as poor comfort, complicated preparation processes, and easy peeling of coating materials. Herein, a 3D double-electrode and machine-knittable fabric TENG (3D-FTENG) with integrated positive and negative triboelectric materials and electrode materials is proposed by coated core-spun yarn and programmable spacer fabric technologies. The triboelectric materials and electrodes of 3D-FTENG are made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coated and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coated Ag-cotton core-spun yarns. With structural design, three 3D-FTENGs with the same surface structures but different intermediate structures are designed and prepared, and the influence of intermediate structures on performance of 3D-FTENG is further studied. The power density of 3D-FTENG with the crisscross structure as intermediate layer reach up to 200.93 mW/m2. The 3D-FTENG is also soft, comfortable, high air permeable and washable. The output electric performance can be maintained after washing cycles and 50,000 cyclic tests. The 3D-FTENG can not only power small electronic products but also monitor human motions, demonstrating good potentials in wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • First study on the formation mechanism of the BF-induced HPMs on 1D fiber surfaces. • Three stages of the HPMs formation are achieved and systematically investigated. • The SNF@HPMs are manufactured for developing AFFs with customized functionalities. • The versatile SNF@HPMs based TENG and sensor are fabricated as a demonstration. The rapid progress in advanced functional fibers (AFFs) offers unique superiorities in wearable electronics, artificial intelligence, and healthcare monitoring. However, there remain considerable challenges for AFFs to fulfill specific requirements of advanced applications due to their low electrical outputs, limitation in materials selection, and difficulty in regulating microstructures on narrow and curved surface of the fibers. In this study, fabricating and regulating honeycomb porous microstructures (HPMs) on one-dimensional nonplanar fiber surfaces were proposed and systematically studied for developing AFFs with customized functionalities. As a demonstration of application, multifunctional silver-plated nylon fibers surface-engineered with HPMs (SNF@HPMs) were developed with the assistance of the BF method and were further fabricated into SNF@HPMs-based triboelectric nanogenerator (SNF@HPMs-TENG). The SNF@HPMs-TENG showed considerable electrical performances with a power density of 390.8 mW/m2 and good long-term stability, which can power portable electronics as capacitors, calculator, watch, and light up 150 LEDs. Moreover, a self-powered wearable sensor based on SNF@HPMs was also developed for monitoring the bending, tactile, and frictional stimuli in a real-time manner. The comprehension of HPMs mechanism on nonplanar fiber surface and demonstrated capability of the SNF@HPMs-TENG provide insights and guidance in regulating microstructures of fiber materials for developing AFFs with customizable functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]