BIOTECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE
B
u
r
d
Meet the
weavers of
the Future
IN DEPTH
Triboelectric
nanogenerators for
pulse sensing textiles
Biotechnology
Introduces
BioTechTiles
BY
JIHANN
Undeniably, clothes are considered as a necessity for
human beings. Due to the innovativeness of the human
mind, it created its own sector of entertainment known
as the world of fashion. However, little did you know
that the fashionable clothes you’re wearing are mainly a
product from the novelty of biotechnology.
FERRER
Textiles are the primary source of the production of
clothes. Various modifications and enhancements are
made throughout the years in order to improve their
quality
and
attributes.
With
the
advancements
of
biotechnology, a new milestone had been discovered to
further expound its use and function. Recently, wearable
electronics and smart textiles had been emerging as the
new trend. One of the most promising creations that was
FEBRUARY
2022
made is the Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG).
PRESSURE SENSING TEXTILES
TENG utilizes the mechanical energy of the human motion
and converts it into electricity. It functions as a selfpowered pressure sensor for human motion sensing and
pulse monitoring without the presence of an external power
source. In a study conducted by (Lou, et al., 2020), they
created the pressure sensor textile from a triboelectric
sensing textile constructed with core−shell yarns. The
sensor is manufactured by textile forming procedures that
are simple, scalable, and low-cost consisting of a twisting
and weaving procedure. It does not employ the use of any
adhesive agent which results to a more comfortable
breathability feature.
The pressure sensor textiles are notably designed wherein
coreshell yarns were initially manufactured with a speedregulating motor employing the idea of triboelectric
nanogenerator (TENG), which constitutes positive layer
and negative layer in the woven structure. The sensing
mechanism is based on the interaction of contact
electrification
and
electrostatic
induction
during
compressive deformation. When the negative PTFE yarns
and positive nylon yarns come into contact, an induced
potential difference forms between the two triboelectric
layers, causing electrons to flow from the bottom
conductive yarn electrode to the top conductive yarn
electrode. This pressure sensor is sensitive enough to
detect and monitor a wide range of human movements
associated with several joints, including the hand, elbow,
knee, and underarm. The created sensing textile, as shown
in the image, was easily integrated with daily wearing
clothes and can effortlessly quantify motion gestures and
positions with diverse speeds and angles in everyday life.
In general, the electrical output of the sensor textile steadily
increases with increasing bending rates and angles,
providing a valuable signal for analyzing and screening
probable body movements.
This
pressure-sensitive
textile
was
conveniently
conformable to the human body to quantify various motions
associated with different joints, such as hand, elbow, knee,
and underarm bending at varied angles or speeds. It can
also be used to monitor the real-time pulse wave, which is
a promising way to display a person's health status. This
innovation also paved the way for further developments of
smart textiles, healthcare monitoring, and artificial
intelligence.
FEBRUARY
2022
REFERENCES
Lou, M., Abdalla, I., Zhu, M., Wei, X., Yu, J., Li, Z., & Ding, B. (2020). Highly wearable,
breathable, and washable sensing textile for human motion and pulse monitoring.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 12(17), 19965-19973. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c03670