Waterproof Fabric-Based Multifunctional Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Universally Harvesting Energy from Raindrops, Wind, and Human Motions and as Self-Powered Sensors

Abstract

Developing nimble, shape-adaptable, conformable, and widely implementable energy harvesters with the capability to scavenge multiple renewable and ambient energy sources is highly demanded for distributed, remote, and wearable energy uses to meet the needs of internet of things. Here, the first single waterproof and fabric-based multifunctional triboelectric nanogenerator (WPF-MTENG) is presented, which can produce electricity from both natural tiny impacts (rain and wind) and body movements, and can not only serve as a flexible, adaptive, wearable, and universal energy collector but also act as a self-powered, active, fabric-based sensor. The working principle comes from a conjunction of contact triboelectrification and electrostatic induction during contact/separation of internal soft fabrics. The structural/material designs of the WPF-MTENG are systematically studied to optimize its performance, and its outputs under different conditions of rain, wind, and various body movements are comprehensively investigated. Its applicability is practically demonstrated in various objects and working situations to gather ambient energy. Lastly, a WPF-MTENG-based keypad as self-powered human–system interfaces is demonstrated on a garment for remotely controlling a music-player system. This multifunctional WPF-MTENG, which is as flexible as clothes, not only presents a promising step toward democratic collections of alternative energy but also provides a new vision for wearable technologies.