Hybrid Energy Harvesting Yarns Based on Piezo-Photoelectric Nanofibers for Wearable Electronics

The rapid development of wearable electronics and smart textiles demands a more flexible energy supply. Compared with charging from a rigid and bulky battery/capacitor, harvesting the energy from the environment and converting the energy to electricity is a more sustainable and user-friendly approach. A yarn-shaped energy harvester, which is able to convert solar and mechanical energy into electricity simultaneously, will be fabricated. The dual harvesting capability can also compensate the energy shortage when the device is not illuminated by sun. The flexible yarn structure enables the harvester to be woven or knitted into a fabric. The power fabric can then be connected to the wearable device and make the self-power device feasible. Our work can help Texavie develop more reliable wearable electronics by providing a flexible energy harvesting and converting device.

Faculty Supervisor:

Frank Ko

Student:

Siying Wu

Partner:

Texavie Technologies Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of British Columbia