2D Material Decorated ZnO for Screen Printable Wearable Textile-Based Piezoelectric Nanogenerator

Abstract

Future wearable electronics require sustainable power sources, and nanogenerators offer promising solutions to convert ambient mechanical energy to electricity while ensuring flexibility, durability, and practical deployment. This work demonstrates a textile-based piezoelectric nanogenerator (T-PENG), which is a durable and scalable energy-harvesting system, using the inherent strength of 2D materials to elevate the performance metrics significantly. Screen printable 2D graphene ink was used for developing the textile-based flexible electrodes. The composite layer was prepared using zinc oxide (ZnO) enclosed molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) (MoS₂@ZnO) and a screen printable paste. The incorporation of 2D MoS₂ into the T-PENG system significantly enhances its output performance. This improvement is further validated by COMSOL computer simulations, which align closely with the experimental findings. At 10 wt% of MoS₂, d₃₃ value of our device reaches ~5.67 pC N⁻¹, an approximately threefold improvement over the MoS₂-free device. Furthermore, T-PENG resulted in a significantly high open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of ~60 V, and a peak power density (J) of 126.84 mW m⁻². Moreover, T-PENG demonstrates high durability and flexibility while retaining ~92% of its output power over 3 months and sustaining ~90% efficiency after 500 bending cycles. T-PENG demonstrated the ability to power over 60 blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) and functions as a self-powered sensor. These advancements position MoS₂ as a significant material for next-generation multifunctional smart textiles.

Keywords

energy harvesting / e-textile / nanogenerator / piezoelectric / wearable electronics

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2025 The Author(s). Energy & Environmental Materials published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Zhengzhou University.