scholarly journals Self-Powered Flexible Blood Oxygen Monitoring System Based on a Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huamin Chen ◽  
Yun Xu ◽  
Jiushuang Zhang ◽  
Weitong Wu ◽  
Guofeng Song

Flexible optoelectronics based on inorganic functional components have attracted worldwide attention due to their inherent advantages. However, the power supply problem presents a significant obstacle to the commercialization of wearable optoelectronics. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology has the potential to realize self-powered applications compared to the conventional charging technologies. Herein, a flexible self-powered blood oxygen monitoring system based on TENG was first demonstrated. The flexibility of the TENG is mainly due to the inherent properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the continuously undulating surface of crumpled gold (Au) and the rough surface on the electrode and PDMS effectively increased the output performance. The output voltage, output current density, and power density were 75.3 V, 7.4 μA, and 0.2 mW/cm2, respectively. By etching the sacrificial layer, we then derived a flexible blood oxygen and pulse detector without any obvious performance degradation. Powered by the TENG, the detector is mounted onto the thumbnail, from where it detects a stable photoplethysmography (PPG) signal which can be used to calculate the oxyhemoglobin saturation and pulse rate. This self-powered system provides a new way to sustainably monitor physiological parameters, which paves the way for development of wearable electronics and battery-free systems.

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Peng Huang ◽  
Dan-Liang Wen ◽  
Yu Qiu ◽  
Ming-Hong Yang ◽  
Cheng Tu ◽  
...  

In recent years, wearable electronic devices have made considerable progress thanks to the rapid development of the Internet of Things. However, even though some of them have preliminarily achieved miniaturization and wearability, the drawbacks of frequent charging and physical rigidity of conventional lithium batteries, which are currently the most commonly used power source of wearable electronic devices, have become technical bottlenecks that need to be broken through urgently. In order to address the above challenges, the technology based on triboelectric effect, i.e., triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), is proposed to harvest energy from ambient environment and considered as one of the most promising methods to integrate with functional electronic devices to form wearable self-powered microsystems. Benefited from excellent flexibility, high output performance, no materials limitation, and a quantitative relationship between environmental stimulation inputs and corresponding electrical outputs, TENGs present great advantages in wearable energy harvesting, active sensing, and driving actuators. Furthermore, combined with the superiorities of TENGs and fabrics, textile-based TENGs (T-TENGs) possess remarkable breathability and better non-planar surface adaptability, which are more conducive to the integrated wearable electronic devices and attract considerable attention. Herein, for the purpose of advancing the development of wearable electronic devices, this article reviews the recent development in materials for the construction of T-TENGs and methods for the enhancement of electrical output performance. More importantly, this article mainly focuses on the recent representative work, in which T-TENGs-based active sensors, T-TENGs-based self-driven actuators, and T-TENGs-based self-powered microsystems are studied. In addition, this paper summarizes the critical challenges and future opportunities of T-TENG-based wearable integrated microsystems.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 1810-1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arunkumar Chandrasekhar ◽  
Nagamalleswara Rao Alluri ◽  
Balasubramaniam Saravanakumar ◽  
Sophia Selvarajan ◽  
Sang-Jae Kim

Scavenging of ambient dissipated mechanical energy addresses the limitations of conventional batteries by providing an auxiliary voltaic power source, and thus has significant potential for self-powered and wearable electronics.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 6366
Author(s):  
Zhiyuan Hu ◽  
Junpeng Wang ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Chuan Wang ◽  
Yawei Wang ◽  
...  

The human–machine interface plays an important role in the diversified interactions between humans and machines, especially by swaping information exchange between human and machine operations. Considering the high wearable compatibility and self-powered capability, triboelectric-based interfaces have attracted increasing attention. Herein, this work developed a minimalist and stable interacting patch with the function of sensing and robot controlling based on triboelectric nanogenerator. This robust and wearable patch is composed of several flexible materials, namely polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), nylon, hydrogels electrode, and silicone rubber substrate. A signal-processing circuit was used in this patch to convert the sensor signal into a more stable signal (the deviation within 0.1 V), which provides a more effective method for sensing and robot control in a wireless way. Thus, the device can be used to control the movement of robots in real-time and exhibits a good stable performance. A specific algorithm was used in this patch to convert the 1D serial number into a 2D coordinate system, so that the click of the finger can be converted into a sliding track, so as to achieve the trajectory generation of a robot in a wireless way. It is believed that the device-based human–machine interaction with minimalist design has great potential in applications for contact perception, 2D control, robotics, and wearable electronics.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 4119
Author(s):  
Chaoyu Chen ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Wenbo Ding ◽  
Lijun Chen ◽  
Jinkang Liu ◽  
...  

In recent years, rapid advancements have developed in multifunctional and wearable electronics, which call for more lightweight, flexible energy sources. However, traditional disposable batteries and rechargeable batteries are not very suitable because of their bulky appearance, limited capacity, low flexibility, and environmental pollution problem. Here, by applying a mature manufacturing technology that has existed in the textile field for a long time, a woven fabric triboelectric nanogenerator (WF-TENG) with a thinner structure that can be mass-fabricated with low cost, perfect stability, and high flexibility is designed and reported. Due to the good intrinsic quality of TENGs, the maximum voltage of this WF-TENG can easily reach 250 V under a pressure of 3.5 kPa and a tapping frequency of 0.33 Hz. Because of the stable plain-woven structure, the output voltage can remain relatively stable even after the WF-TENG has been working for about 5 h continuously, clearly demonstrating its robustness and practical value. Moreover, good sensitivity endows this WF-TENG with the capability of being applied as self-powered sensors, such as a self-powered smart real-time gait-recognizing sock. This WF-TENG shows us a simple and effective method to fabricate a wearable textile product with functional ability, which is very meaningful for future research.


Author(s):  
Lu Liu ◽  
Linglin Zhou ◽  
Chuguo Zhang ◽  
Zhihao Zhao ◽  
Shaoxin Li ◽  
...  

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been demonstrated as a revolutionary energy-harvesting technology toward distributed energy sources and self-powered systems, however, its output performance is significantly affected by humidity, which seriously limits...


Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kequan Xia ◽  
Zhiwei Xu ◽  
Zhiyuan Zhu ◽  
Hongze Zhang ◽  
Yong Nie

Recent years, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted increased attention from researchers worldwide. Owing to their conductivity and triboelectric characteristics, metal materials can be made as both triboelectric materials and conductive electrodes. However, the surface of typical metals (such as copper, aluminum, and iron) is likely to be corroded when the sweat generated by human-body movement drops on the surface of TENGs, as this corrosion is detrimental to the output performance of TENGs. In this work, we proposed a novel corrosion-resistant copper–nickel based TENG (CN-TENG). Copper–nickel alloy conductive tape and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape played the role of the triboelectric materials, and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was utilized as the supporting part. The conductive copper–nickel alloy tape also served as a conductive electrode. The open-circuit voltage (VOC) and short-circuit current (ISC) can arrive at 196.8 V and 6 μA, respectively. Furthermore, peak power density values of 45 μW/cm2 were realized for the CN-TENG. A series of experiments confirmed its corrosion-resistant property. The approximate value of VOC for the fabricated TENG integrated into the shoe reached 1500 V, which is capable of driving at least 172 high-power LEDs in series. The results of this research provide a workable method for supporting corrosion-resistant self-powered wearable electronics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 3642-3647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiling Luo ◽  
Changhong Liu ◽  
Shoushan Fan

A novel self-powered device was fabricated by adding one small piece of metal foil onto a supercapacitor. The device can be self-charged to more than 0.7 V when touched by a wet swab. This slender device demonstrates impressive output performance and can drive a vibrating motor. This study provides a novel energy source for self-powered wearable electronics.


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