Machine-Washable Textile Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Effective Human Respiratory Monitoring through Loom Weaving of Metallic Yarns

Researchers report a rationally designed textile triboelectric nanogenerator (t-TENG), which is fabricated by direct weaving of Cu-coated polyethylene terephthalate (Cu-PET) warp yarns and polyimide (PI)-coated Cu-PET (PI-Cu-PET) weft yarns on an industrial sample weaving loom. The new device takes fully the advantage of woven structure, and upon subtle deformation of the device by tapping or bending, the contact area at each yarn crisscross intersection changes to result in an effective generation of triboelectric charges. The researchers integrate the as-made t-TENG into a chest strap to monitor human respiratory information including rate and depth to demonstrate the superior sensitivity of this device to subtle human body motions. the as-made t-TENG shows a remarkable washing durability, which can withstand standard machine washing tests.