Smart garment energy generators fabricated using stretchable electrospun nanofibers

Abstract In this study, we fabricated smart garments (SGs) based on nanoconductive fibers (NCFs) employing single-capillary electrospun stretchable styrene–butadiene–styrene nanofibers coated with silver nanoparticles. NCFs were dip-coated with pristine polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), intrinsically stretchable polymer pristine polyurethane (PU), and three different PTFE–PU blends to generate five different coated nanoconductive fibers (CNCFs). SGs for electricity generation and harvesting were fabricated by intertwining the NCFs and CNCFs. The SG based on pristine-PTFE-coated NCFs showed poor performance, owing to the rigidity of PTFE. Optimization of the PU polymer ratio and the power generation mechanism of the SGs was analyzed using various techniques. The SG with a PTFE:PU ratio of 8:2 generated the highest output current (9.86 nA) and was mechanically robust even under a high level of stretching (50%). Moreover, this SG was durable up to 175 stretching–relaxation cycles and could still deliver significant output current (2.88 nA). Strontium aluminate was dip-coated on the optimized SG to fabricate an incorporated smart garment (ISG) with improved light generation efficiency. The as-prepared ISG can be used in the future as a lightweight, reproducible, and renewable energy harvester.