Energy Harvesting Materials and Structures for Smart Textile Applications: Recent Progress and Path Forward

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Wearable electronics and e-textiles face significant power supply challenges.
• Batteries are a common power source, but energy harvesting offers a sustainable alternative.
• Textile products can serve as substrates for integrated energy harvesting systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review various energy harvesting mechanisms applicable to smart textiles.
• To discuss the latest advancements in photovoltaic, piezoelectric, triboelectric, and thermoelectric technologies for textiles.
• To identify current challenges and future strategies for textile-based energy harvesting.

Main Methods:

• Review of photovoltaic energy harvesting: flexible inorganic films, printable organic films, dye-sensitized solar cells, photovoltaic fibers.
• Review of piezoelectric systems: polymers, composites/nanocomposites, piezoelectric nanogenerators.
• Review of triboelectric energy harvesting: films/coatings, fibers/textiles, triboelectric nanogenerators.
• Review of thermoelectric energy harvesting: inorganic and organic thermoelectric modules.

Main Results:

• Photovoltaic textile applications include flexible inorganic, printable organic, dye-sensitized, and fiber-based solar cells.
• Piezoelectric textile energy harvesting utilizes polymers, composites, and nanogenerators.
• Triboelectric textile energy harvesting involves films, coatings, fibers, and nanogenerators.
• Thermoelectric textile energy harvesting employs inorganic and organic modules.

Conclusions:

• Significant progress has been made in developing diverse energy harvesting mechanisms for smart textiles.
• Challenges remain in optimizing efficiency, durability, and integration for practical applications.
• Future research should focus on innovative strategies to overcome these hurdles and advance textile-based power solutions.