Wearable technology

Engineering

Capacitance

Materials science

Embedded system

Computer science

Coaxial

Physical chemistry

Supercapacitor

Nanotechnology

Triboelectric effect

Wearable computer

Silicone rubber

Electronics

Composite material

Fiber

Chemistry

Electrode

Piezoelectricity

Nanogenerator

Electrical engineering

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Although there has been rapid advancement in wearable electronics, challenges still remain in developing wearable and sustainable power sources with simple fabrication and low cost. In this work, we demonstrate a flexible coaxial fiber by fabricating a one-dimensional triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) outside and a supercapacitor (SC) inside, which can not only harvest mechanical energy but also store energy in the all-in-one fiber. In such a coaxial fiber, carbon fiber bundles are utilized as the electrode material for the TENG as well as the active and electrode material for the SC. Meanwhile, silicone rubber serves as the separator between the SC and TENG, as the triboelectric material for the TENG, and as the encapsulation material for the whole fiber as well. Moreover, both SC and TENG exhibit good performance and stability, which ensures their long-term use in daily life. Because of the flexibility and durability of the carbon fiber and silicone rubber, the proposed coaxial fibers show great flexibility, which could be further knitted as cloth for sustainably powering wearable electronic devices. This work presents a promising platform for wearable electronics as well as smart textiles.

Coaxial Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Supercapacitor Fiber-Based Self-Charging Power Fabric