Self-Powered Stretchable Electrophoretic Display via the Capacitor-Based Driving Scheme with Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Smart Shoes Application

In recent years, wearable displays have garnered considerable attention as a crucial component of future wearable devices. Among various types of display devices, electrophoretic display (EPD) is a promising candidate for wearable devices because of its ultralow power consumption, bistability, and flexibility. However, the conventional power management scheme fails to satisfy the demands of convenience in wearable scenarios, owing to frequent charging. Self-powered solutions should be highlighted for future wearable devices. In this study, a self-powered, stretchable EPD device was designed for smart shoe applications. An ultrathin, stretchable EPD was fabricated with a high contrast ratio of 14.29 and 50% stretching endurance. Furthermore, a novel capacitor-based driving scheme was proposed for the self-powered driving of an EPD in wearable scenarios. Besides, a stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator was also prepared as the self-powered module for EPD driving. Eventually, smart shoes integrated with self-powered EPD were demonstrated as a potential application, which heralded the bright prospect of self-powered devices for wearable electronics.