Abstract:

Objective Smart clothing, integrating fashion and technology, represents a crucial direction for the development of functional and workwear garments, necessitating lightweight and efficient self-powering solutions. Conventional self-powering approaches for smart clothing face limitations such as low energy generation efficiency and high environmental dependency, hindering their widespread adoption. Based on the working principle of triboelectic nanog-enerator (TENG), this study designs and optimizes the energy supply scheme for smart clothing with the aid of finite element simulation tools.
Method By evaluating the characteristics of different TENG working modes, the most suitable mode and optimal garment placement areas were selected. Through analysis of the TENG power generation mechanism and the establishment of a finite element simulation model for triboelectric material dynamics, the study simulated power generation performance under varying material surface areas, motion patterns, amplitudes, and frequencies. According to the data range of arm circumference sizes for different age groups, clothing is divided into three levels. The number of TENG arrangements with different side lengths and total power generation for each clothing grade were calculate. This facilitated the determination of optimal installation locations and configurations, thereby refining the design scheme.
Results Through a comparative analysis of the characteristics of the four TENG operation modes, the horizontal sliding-mode TENG was selected as the research subject by virtue of its superior suitability for clothing applications. By evaluating the properties of various candidate materials and their power generation efficiency, nylon and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were chosen as the triboelectric materials, while copper served as the electrode material. A finite element model with appropriate boundary conditions was established based on the TENG power generation principle. The location of TENGs in garment areas such as shoulders, underarms, and elbows was summarized, along with the corresponding movement characteristics of the wearer. The correspondence was established between the applicable area range and the area of TENG friction material, the amplitude of human body motion and the amplitude of TENG motion. Similarly, the correspondence was established between the applicable area range and the area of TENG friction material, the amplitude of human body motion and the amplitude of TENG motion. The relationship between the the intensity of human body movement and the frequency of TENG motion was studied using dynamic grid technology to conduct transient simulation of the model and study the impact of various factors on power generation efficiency. This study shows that at a motion frequency of 3 Hz, a single TENG installed in the elbow and side torso areas of smart clothing and moving in bilateral displacement mode is able to generate a maximum power of approximately 0.1, 0.6, and 1.2 mW at side lengths of 10, 15, and 20 mm, respectively. Among the three levels, TENGs with a side length of 20 mm were arranged in a checkerboard pattern on both sides of the body in suitable installation areas. 5 TENGs were connected in parallel on each side of the S-level, 8 on each side of the M-level, and 13 on each side of the L-level. The maximum output power reached 12.0, 19.2 and 31.2 mW, respectively, which is sufficient to power common human health monitoring sensors. Additionally, this configuration ensures a balance between wearer comfort and aesthetic appeal.
Conclusion Compared to conventional power supply methods, the TENG-based self-powering solution for smart clothing demonstrates superior power generation efficiency, adaptability, and wearability. Furthermore, employing simulation-based optimization eliminates the need for physical prototyping and modifications, reducing costs while improving efficiency. This approach offers a novel design and optimization strategy for smart clothing development. The application of this method to the field of smart clothing design will cause a huge positive impact on the design efficiency of smart clothing. Future experiments will be extended based on the design scheme proposed in this article in the subsequent research process, so as to verify the energy harvesting effect and to continuously optimize and improve the method.

Key words: apparel design, smart clothing, self-powered, triboelectric nanogenerator, finite element simulation