Researchers developed a textile that uses motion energy and phase change materials to power electronics while adapting to heat and cold without batteries.
(Nanowerk Spotlight) As wearable technology becomes more embedded in health care, environmental monitoring, and personal electronics, its core limitations remain unsolved. Most systems still depend on batteries that deplete quickly and require frequent charging or replacement. At the same time, they offer little control over thermal comfort—an issue especially relevant in outdoor work, clinical wear, or extreme climates.
Efforts to minimize batteries or extend their lifespan have done little to address the deeper problem: wearable devices need to operate independently while adapting to dynamic environments. What’s missing is a textile that can do more than just support sensors or house power supplies—a material that can actively harvest energy and regulate temperature in real time.
Scientists have explored various pathways to achieve this. Triboelectric nanogenerators, which convert human motion into electricity, offer a promising route for self-powered wearables. Separately, phase change materials have been incorporated into textiles to manage body temperature through heat absorption and release. But these two functions—energy harvesting and thermal regulation—have rarely been integrated into a single, breathable fabric, and when they are, they tend to rely on fixed, one-directional responses to temperature or limited solar availability.
The challenge lies not only in combining these features, but in ensuring they remain functional under realistic conditions, from shifting temperatures to long-term wear.
Now, researchers in China have developed a smart textile that directly addresses this gap. Their new material integrates all-season thermal regulation with motion-based power generation, offering a potential platform for wearable systems that do not rely on batteries or external climate control.
Schematic diagram of fabrication procedure, structural design, and operating mechanism of multipurpose POA-PGC textile. (Image: Reprinted with permission by Wiley-VCH Verlag) (click on image to enlarge)
The device, named POA-PGC, combines two core layers: one responsible for thermal control and the other for harvesting electricity from everyday human motion. Both are fabricated using electrospinning, a method that produces fine polymer fibers while preserving breathability and flexibility.
The thermal regulation layer uses a core-shell nanofiber structure to encapsulate n-octadecane, a phase change material that melts and solidifies close to human body temperature. As the material shifts phase, it absorbs or releases heat, helping stabilize the temperature of the fabric. The encapsulation process prevents leakage, a common issue in phase change systems. Tests showed that this layer could cool by 3.4 °C in hot conditions and warm by 4.0 °C in cold ones, maintaining comfort across a wide range of environments.
To extend the range of thermal management, the researchers added polydopamine (PDA), a synthetic molecule similar in structure to melanin. PDA efficiently absorbs solar radiation and converts it into heat. In testing, the fabric’s temperature rose by 31 °C in 90 seconds when exposed to simulated sunlight, reaching a peak of 51 °C. This combination of latent heat storage and photothermal conversion enables the textile to respond in real time to changes in temperature and light availability, offering heating in both low-light and sunlit environments.
The second layer, responsible for energy generation, is built from PVDF-HFP, a polymer known for its strong electroactive properties. To increase its performance, the team incorporated graphene nanosheets and carbon nanotubes. These additives enhance the polymer’s dielectric constant and promote the formation of the β-phase crystal structure, which improves charge storage.
The resulting triboelectric layer produced a power density of 8762 µW per square meter and an output voltage of 77 V—over three times that of the unmodified polymer. It retained over 90% of its electrical performance after 10 months in open-air storage and 10,000 mechanical cycles.
The POA-PGC textile also satisfies the mechanical and physiological demands of wearable electronics. Its water vapor transmission rate is comparable to cotton, which supports breathability and user comfort. It remains functional after repeated bending and machine washing. The triboelectric surface is hydrophobic, allowing it to repel water and dirt and maintain cleanliness without special treatments.
In practical demonstrations, the fabric powered a small capacitor that ran a commercial electronic watch, without needing external charging. When worn against the skin with the thermal layer facing inward, the material adjusted the microclimate by heating or cooling depending on ambient conditions.
Worn with the photothermal layer outward, it provided insulation in cold weather through both solar heating and latent heat release. Compared to cotton, it maintained a significantly higher surface temperature in simulated cold environments and showed a measurable reduction in surface heat during high-temperature tests.
The fabric also operated as a self-powered sensor, responding to finger taps of varying force and speed. These tests confirmed its sensitivity and real-time response, supporting potential use in human-machine interfaces or health monitoring. Because the material components are commercially available—such as PVDF-HFP, n-octadecane, PDA, graphene, and carbon nanotubes—the design remains scalable and cost-conscious.
This study demonstrates a multifunctional textile that integrates temperature regulation and energy harvesting in a single, flexible layer. By combining phase change materials and photothermal compounds with triboelectric polymers, the researchers created a fabric capable of powering electronics, adjusting to environmental changes, and maintaining comfort without external power sources.
The textile’s mechanical durability, breathability, and thermal responsiveness make it suitable for various applications, from wearable sensors to climate-adaptive clothing. The integration of these functions into a unified material architecture offers a step toward fully self-sustaining wearable systems.
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