New Fiber Nanogenerators Could Lead to Electric Clothing

University of California, Berkeley researchers have created energy-scavenging nanofibers that can be woven into clothing and textiles. The nano-sized generators have piezoelectric properties, which enables them to use mechanical stress, stretches, and twists to create electricity. “This technology could eventually lead to wearable smart clothes that can power handheld electronics through ordinary body movements,” says Berkeley professor Liwei Lin. The nanofibers are flexible and inexpensive because they are made from organic polyvinylidene fluoride. During testing, the researchers tugged and tweaked the nanofibers and generated electrical outputs ranging from five to 30 millivolts and from 0.5 to three nanoamps. The researchers demonstrated average energy conversion efficiencies of 12.5 percent, with some going as high as 21.8 percent.

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