Recent Advances in Sustainable Wearable Energy Devices with Nanoscale Materials and Macroscale Structures

Abstract

Quick progress in the field of smart wearable devices requires self-sustainable power systems to help the devices execute the desired functions within a sufficient time scale. Because these devices have started to become small, light, compliant, complex, and multifunctional, it is challenging to provide them with the large amounts of energy necessary for their operation. Thus, future multifunctional wearable devices should not only incorporate mechanical flexibility for conformal contacts but also include sustainable energy units for stable operation. Hence, strategies for designing the assembly of nanoscale materials in macroscale-structured devices have attracted intense interest, with an aim to achieve mechanically deformable and sustainable wearable devices while exploiting the recent advances in nanomaterials and device fabrication. This review highlights the recent progress in nanomaterialenabled and structured energy harvesting, energy storage, and hybrid devices for powering sustainable wearables. In particular, one summarizes describe biomechanical energy harvesters (piezoelectric nanogenerators and triboelectric nanogenerators), solar energy harvesters (solar cells), biothermal energy harvesters (thermoelectric nanogenerators), energy storage devices (batteries and supercapacitors), and hybrid devices and focus on the use of nanomaterials and device configurations in 1D, 2D, and 3D structures, with an aim to shape the future demand for self-sustainable wearables.

Skin bioelectronics towards long-term, continuous health monitoring

“…In the last six years, the progressive development of novel materials, structure engineering, and fabrication techniques has led to great advances in the mechanical flexibility/stretchability in skin bioelectronics. 233,234…”

“…There are many self-powered skin sensors and devices that harvest energy from biological, mechanical, light, or thermal sources from the human body and/or the ambient environment. 234 To name a few, the emerging soft skin-like energy devices include energy generation devices, such as solar cells, biofuel cells (BFCs), triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), and piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs), and energy storage devices such as supercapacitors and batteries. 101,103,273–276 The generated power can be stored in supercapacitors or batteries to drive other electronic devices.…”

Comprehensive Insight into p-Type Bi2Te3-Based Thermoelectrics near Room Temperature

“…Furthermore, to be closer to the needs of practical applications, an emerging path should be further exploited to combine novel TE devices with other energy conversion technologies ( e . g ., solar cells, electromagnetic generators, piezoelectric generators, pyroelectric generators, and triboelectric generators). , …”

“…Furthermore, to be closer to the needs of practical applications, an emerging path should be further exploited to combine novel TE devices with other energy conversion technologies (e.g., solar cells, electromagnetic generators, piezoelectric generators, pyroelectric generators, and triboelectric generators). 216,217 In a word, several groundbreaking discoveries can be predicted to improve TE performances in polycrystalline ptype Bi 2 Te 3 -based alloys. It is expected that this comprehensive review can provide insights and new strategies, along with influence the future technology space in applications.…”

Direct Writing of Functional Layer by Selective Laser Sintering of Nanoparticles for Emerging Applications: A Review

“…Emerging applications such as renewable energy devices [ 1 ], flexible/stretchable/wearable electronics [ 2 ] and soft robotics [ 3 ] are still at their development stages, and discovery of functional smart materials relevant to each application has played a critical role in the advancement of these fields. Introduction of new materials requires concurrent evolution of appropriate processing methods [ 4 , 5 ], discernable from conventional techniques, since the existing technologies are generally designed and optimized for a specific material, i.e., photolithography for silicon wafer, and therefore, are often not compatible with other materials such as chemically synthesized low-dimensional nanomaterials and polymer-based substrates [ 6 ].…”