Unbelievable -- Self Charging Textiles Without Batteries

Imagine using your clothes to recharge the body testing recorder without the USB charging line.

The invention of the power generation functional fabric may herald the coming of a new era. We will see that electricity can be supplied to the electronic equipment through fabric.

These textiles are cutting-edge technologies that can get energy from various sources of power, including the body's heat (heat), direct sunlight (solar energy), wearer's movement (kinetic energy), and turn these energy into available electrical energy.

Transparency Market Research, a US market research consultancy, has reported that energy textiles can be considered as a booming global smart fabric.

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Its value is expected to grow from $7 million in 2014 to $7 billion 730 million by 2023.

Let the body heat work for you.

In recent years, a large number of new technologies that can generate electricity in various ways are used in electronic textiles.

Thermoelectric textiles generate electricity through the temperature difference between the human body and the environment.

According to "nature" magazine, a team of scientists used the poly (3, 4- ethylene two oxygen thiophene): polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) conductive polymer to coat conventional textiles, and used thin wires to connect PEDOT: PSS coated thin plates, and developed wearable thermoelectric generators.

The fabric produced is the first time to appear. It is flexible and breathable, and can be used to make breathable and comfortable garments.

At a temperature difference of 75.2 K, it generates a voltage of about 4.3 mV.

At North Caroline State University (NCSU), a group of researchers from the National Science Foundation nanoscale systems engineering research center are studying advanced sensors and technologies for self power supply systems. They have created the most advanced iterative thermoelectric textiles.

The early textiles that collect human body heat can produce only 1 W/cm2 power, and the new technology can generate electricity up to 20 W/cm2.

Electricity is generated by the temperature difference between the wearer's body and the ambient air.

Utilization of solar energy

Other types of energy harvesting clothing generate electricity through exposure to sunlight.

For example, Advanced Materials introduced a solid photovoltaic textile.

The wire like photoelectric anode line (negative electrode of photovoltaic cell) and the counter electrode (auxiliary electrode) are woven in a fabric layer. These 2 electrodes are placed in flexible, light and cheap polymer fibers through the process of low temperature wet treatment.

The new fabric gains energy from the natural solar radiation of the outside. It charges 2 mF of capacitors and reaches 3 V in 60 s, thus generating enough electricity to power the digital calculator.

A piece of fabric will work.

Some fabrics collect energy from motion.

Zhong Lin Wang, a professor of materials science and engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, has been engaged in research on friction generator (TENG) for many years.

When friction occurs between certain materials, electricity is generated.

Contact with carpet will generate static electricity.

Wang's research team combines TENG (the location of energy harvesting) with supercapacitor yarns (the location of stored energy) to develop self charging textiles.

Recently, they have developed a new type of clothing that collects energy through the sun and sports.

"This fabric should be able to collect energy from the surrounding sunlight and human biomechanical movement," Wang said.

When they are worn, they can provide power for portable electronic devices to drive electronic watches and recharge mobile phones.

Prospects for fabric power generation

Although these electronic textiles have broad application prospects, they are still in the early stage of research and development.

The healthcare industry leads the organic integration of electronic textiles and functional textiles.

Weaving electronic components into textiles helps researchers to apply new methods to monitor patient's body and actions.

Sportswear and football clothes

Innovation is also achieved through smart textiles.

The active lifestyle of all mankind and the strong demand for new products have promoted the expectation of the rapid development of intelligent textile.

OM Signal Canada and clothing brand Polo Ralph Lauren CO produced a men's smart shirt.

Technology giant Google Project Jacquard project is developing interactive jeans with jeans producer Levi s.

With the commercialization of self charging textiles, the joint efforts of researchers, textile manufacturers and technology companies will surely push the product forward.

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The application of self charged textiles is of great potential.