[Shenzhen University: Research on triboelectric nanogenerator textile sensor for real-time gait Analysis]

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) realizes self-power through the coupling effect of triboelectric and electrostatic induction, and is an ideal choice for wearable sensor because of its simple structure, small size and light weight. The fabric-based TENG further engenders the soft and comfortable characteristics of wearable devices, providing a new idea for non-invasive monitoring of physiological signals.Fabric type TENG marked by yarn with core and shell structure has good compatibility with traditional fabrics. However, conventional core-shell yarn preparation methods such as coaxial spinning, coating, film coating and yarn covering are prone to poor bonding between core conductive fiber and shell triboelectric material, resulting in increased resistance between core and shell, or charge leakage due to uneven shell layer. And easy to slip and fall off when stressed. These problems make the sensitivity and stability of fabric TENG low.To solve this problem, Associate Researcher Meng Si, Professor Kong Tiantian and Researcher Liu Zhou of the Microfluidic and Soft Matter Research Group of Shenzhen University proposed a method of coaxial conjugated electrostatic spinning combined with conductive adhesive coating to achieve large-scale preparation of coin-shell nanofiber coaxial yarns (NCYs) with high sensitivity, high stability, flexibility and suitable for a variety of textile structures. This paper demonstrates the flexibility of NCYs and its derived textiles in monitoring physiological signals in different parts of the human body, and develops a smart insole with high sensitivity, antibacterial, breathable and washable properties using the plain fabric structure NCY-TENG, which is an ideal choice for real-time gait monitoring of diabetic foot patients.