One-Step Preparation of a Core-Spun Cu/P(VDF-TrFE) Nanofibrous Yarn for Wearable Smart Textile to Monitor Human Movement

At present, wearable electronic sensors are widely investigated and applied for human life usage especially for the flexible piezoelectric sensor based on piezoelectric fibers. However, most of these fiber-based piezoelectric sensors are thin films, which might had poor air permeability, or do not adapt to complex body movements. In this study, a piezoelectric sensing fabric was proposed based on core-spun Cu/P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibrous yarns. These yarns were fabricated by P(VDF-TrFE) as a piezoelectric material and Cu wire as an inner electrode layer through a one-step conjugate electrospinning process. The Cu/P(VDF-TrFE) fabrics showed good flexibility, breathability, mechanical stability, and sensing capability after continuous running for 60 min or after washing. A 4 cm x 4 cm fabric could generate a current of 38 nA and voltage of 2.7 V under 15 N pressure. Once the fabric was fixed onto the clothes, human motion could be monitored by collecting its generated current, and the signal could be wirelessly transmitted onto a smartphone. Therefore, this study may provide a simple and promising approach to design a smart textile for human motion monitoring.

Automated summary

A piezoelectric sensing fabric was proposed based on core-spun Cu/P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibrous yarns, showing good flexibility, breathability, mechanical stability, and sensing capability. The fabric could generate a current of 38 nA and voltage of 2.7 V under 15 N pressure.