A biocompatible and antibacterial all-textile structured triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered tactile sensing

With the rapid development of cutting-edge technologies, self-powered breathable wearable electronic textiles have received significant attention because of portable and convenient power sources. In this work, a biocompatible and antibacterial all-textile structured triboelectric nanogenerator was designed for self-powered tactile sensing, constructed by the MXene doped PVDF (P/M) nanofibers and the antibacterial Ag nanoparticles modified nylon 6,6 (Ag@nylon 6/6) nanofibers as the triboelectric negative and positive materials, respectively. The effect of MXenes in PVDF nanofibers for its mutual interaction, surface potential, breathability, tensile strength, biocompatibility, and triboelectric performance was evaluated thoroughly through experimental and theoretical investigations. As developed P/M nanofiber film was paired with tribopositive Ag@nylon 6/6 nanofibers to fabricate the TENG, exhibiting a high output voltage of 362 V and an output current of 38.5 μA. The triboelectric harvesting properties were further demonstrated by capacitor charging and the operation of low power devices such as the clock, 95 commercial LEDs. In addition, a self-powered tactile sensor based on the Ag@nylon 6,6 and P/M fibrous membranes realizes ultrasensitive motion and pulse detection from different arteries, and the fabricated tactile sensor array shows a great potential in the application of smart wearable keyboard as well as high-resolution tactile mapping. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd.