Wearable Electronics Powered by Triboelectrification between Hair and Cloth for Monitoring Body Motions

Diverse triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been extensively applied in self-powered wearable electronics. The TENG-based demonstration using the human body as a triboelectric material is rare, though wearable electronics plays a more and more pivotal role in portable intelligent medicine. Human hair, as part of the human body, can be a component of a TENG-based wearable system. Herein, a novel body-based TENG configuration made of human hair and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated carbon cloth is proposed. Due to triboelectrification between the hair and the PDMS layer, the output voltage can deliver 1.713 and 0.377 V in the vertical contact-separation mode and sliding mode, respectively. In addition, a self-powered application based on the hair-based TENG for actively monitoring the motion state by comparing the amplitude and frequency of the output voltages is successfully demonstrated. This study broadens the application of body-based TENGs and provides a promising and feasible strategy for developing smart health monitoring.

Automated summary

This study proposes a TENG-based wearable device using human hair, which generates stable output voltage through triboelectrification between hair and PDMS layer. A self-powered application for monitoring human motion state is also successfully demonstrated.