Development of Fiber-Based Devices as Energy Harvesters and Self-Powered Sensors

Harvesting Energy from human motions to power portable electronic devices and sensors has been recognized as a new approach to solve the energy problem. In this study, we start to realize the concept by using commercial carbon fibers as the substrates to fabricate nanogenerators. Those fiber-based nanogenerators not only strongly show the potential do develop energy clothes in the near future but also provide an effective way to harvest energy from all directions. Nanowire arrays are designed to grow on carbon fibers first in order to enhance the electric outputs from nanogenerators. By further coating biocompatible polymers on the nanowire arrays, the fiber-based nanogenerators have been successfully demonstrated to harvest mechanical energy from walking. The nanogenerators fabricated in this study could contain two types; one is triboelectric nanogenerator and the other is piezoelectric nanogenerator. Those two types of nanogenerators are working based on different mechanisms, and therefore they can function as self-powered sensors for different targets.