Violin String Inspired Core-Sheath Silk/Steel Yarns for Wearable Triboelectric Nanogenerator Applications

Triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG)has attracted considerable attention in wearable electronics and energy harvesting associated with human activities.Fiber/yarn electrodes are widely applied in the wearable TENG system,which remains a challenge to guarantee mechanical ductility and stable electrical functions during long-term use.Inspired by high quality violin strings core-sheath design,silk/stainless-steel integrated yarns(SSYs)are continuously produced by simple co-wrapping spinning technique,which shows excellent mechanical strength,flexibility,conductivity,weaveability and triboelectric function.The SSYs can be modified to achieve tunable surface morphology.Finally,TENG cables have been fabricated,which can be stretched up to 100%and reveal a fast responsiveness to the stretching extent(voltage output of about 0.2,0.6,1.8,2.8 V at 13%,25%,38%,50%stretching,respectively).The TENG cables integrated textiles can not only harvest the energy generated by body movement but can also work as a self-supplied motion detector.