Sweat permeable and ultrahigh strength 3D PVDF piezoelectric nanoyarn fabric strain sensor

Wei Fan ¹, Ruixin Lei ², Hao Dou ²

¹School of Textile Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Material and Product of Ministry of Education, Institute of Flexible electronics and Intelligent Textile, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. fanwei@xpu.edu.cn.
²School of Textile Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Material and Product of Ministry of Education, Institute of Flexible electronics and Intelligent Textile, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
³School of Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
⁴State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Center of Advanced Lubrication and Seal Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
⁵Faculty of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran. mashalah.rezakazemi@gmail.com.
⁶Center for Energy and Environment, School of Advanced Sciences, KLE Technological University, Hubballi, India and Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁷Department of Materials, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK.
⁸Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China. geshengbo@njfu.edu.cn.

⁰School of Textile Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Functional Textile Material and Product of Ministry of Education, Institute of Flexible electronics and Intelligent Textile, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. fanwei@xpu.edu.cn.

Nature Communications +

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April 25, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Researchers created a new piezoelectric fabric sensor from strong PVDF nanoyarns. This comfortable, breathable fabric enhances piezoelectric properties with sweat, offering a better wearable electronic device.

Area Of Science

Materials Science
Textile Engineering
Wearable Electronics

Background

Commercial wearable piezoelectric sensors lack breathability due to electronic packaging, compromising user comfort.
Developing comfortable and breathable piezoelectric sensors is crucial for advanced wearable electronics.

Purpose Of The Study

To develop a novel three-dimensional piezoelectric fabric (3DPF) sensor using PVDF nanoyarns.
To enhance the comfort, breathability, and performance of wearable piezoelectric sensors.

Main Methods

Weaving ultrahigh-strength PVDF piezoelectric nanoyarns into a three-dimensional piezoelectric fabric (3DPF) using advanced 3D textile technology.
Characterizing the tensile strength, liquid transport properties, and piezoelectric performance of the 3DPF.
Evaluating the durability and comfortability of the 3DPF compared to commercial textiles.

Main Results

The 3DPF achieved an ultrahigh tensile strength of 46.0 MPa, the highest among reported flexible piezoelectric sensors.
The fabric demonstrated anti-gravity unidirectional liquid transport, moving sweat away from the skin within 4 seconds.
Sweating enhanced, rather than weakened, the piezoelectric properties of the 3DPF.
The 3DPF exhibited durability and comfortability comparable to commercial cotton T-shirts.

Conclusions

The developed 3DPF offers a comfortable, breathable, and high-performance alternative to existing wearable piezoelectric sensors.
This work presents a viable strategy for creating advanced, comfortable flexible wearable electronic devices.
The unique properties of the 3DPF, including sweat-enhanced performance, open new avenues for smart textile applications.