Hierarchically Plied Mechano-Electrochemical Energy Harvesting Using a Scalable Kinematic Sensing Textile Woven from a Graphene-Coated Commercial Cotton Yarn

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 23; no. 16; pp. 7623 - 7632
• Main Authors: Kim, Juwan, Noh, Jun Ho, Chun, Sungwoo, Kim, Seon Jeong, Sim, Hyeon Jun, Choi, Changsoon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 23.08.2023
• Subjects: Mechano-electrochemical energy harvester; Textile; Wearable sensor; Yarn
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02221

Wearable sensing systems are suitable for monitoring human motion. To realize a cost-effective and self-powered strain-sensing fiber, we developed a mechano-electrochemical harvesting yarn and textile using hierarchically arranged plied yarns composed of meter-long graphene-coated cotton yarns. Such a fiber relies on the principle of electrochemical capacity change to convert mechanical energy to electric energy. Further, this harvester can be used as a self-powered strain sensor because its output depends on mechanical stimuli. Additionally, the yarn can be woven into a kinematic sensing textile that measures the strength and direction of the applied force. The textile-type harvester can successfully detect various human movements such as pressing, bending, and stretching. The proposed sensing fiber will pave the way for the development of advanced wearable systems for ubiquitous healthcare in the future.