Structurally engineered textile-based triboelectric nanogenerator for energy harvesting application

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) work on the principle of contact electrification and electrostatic induction to harvest electrical energy from a mechanical energy source. The textile fabric-based TENG device fabricated in the present study utilizes a few widely used textile materials like Teflon, nylon and fabric manufacturing technology. The integration of the aforementioned materials with a conductive element has been realized through a multilayer stitching technique. Each electrode of the TENG comprises various types of woven fabric samples prepared on a weaving loom, namely 1/1 plain weave, 2/2 matt weave, 3/1 twill and 5/1 twill weave. Each of the woven structures was analyzed on the basis of its corresponding electrical performance. The electrostructural relationship of the resultant TENG device was investigated by measuring values of instant open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short-circuit current (Isc), capacitor charge–discharge behavior, peak power density, etc. A strong correlation between the fabric weave pattern and its electrical performance was established. A maximum voltage output of 2.52 V in a 1/1 plain weave elevated to 10.93 V for a 5/1 twill weave. Through assessment of the capacitor charge–discharge behavior, the applicability and efficiency of the present TENG device as an energy harvesting unit were validated. The present study also signifies the importance of textile structural parameters in the development of an efficient wearable TENG device.