Interface-Tailored Janus Nanofibers for High-Performance and Moisture-Wicking Wearable Energy Harvesting

Achieving high electrical output while maintaining reliable performance under humid, skin-contact conditions remains a critical bottleneck for textile-based self-powered sensors. In this work, we develop a Janus nanofiber mat that integrates asymmetric wettability with interfacial polarization modulation to simultaneously regulate moisture transport and enhance triboelectric output. The architecture consists of a hydrophilic PVP/CA layer, a conductive Ag nanowire interlayer, and a hydrophobic F-POSS/P(VDF-TrFE) layer. This multilayer configuration generates simultaneous gradients in pore size and surface energy, forming directional moisture-transport pathways that rapidly dissipate sweat and help stabilize the interfacial triboelectric state. The incorporation of F-POSS enriches polar phases in P(VDF-TrFE) and significantly reduces the surface potential, as revealed by KPFM, thus enhancing tribonegative polarization and improving charge retention capacity. Benefiting from this cooperative interfacial engineering, the Janus device delivers a peak power density of 0.98 W m<sup>-2</sup>, high pressure sensitivities of 4.28 VkPa<sup>-1</sup> and 3.14 mAkPa<sup>-1</sup>, and maintains significantly improved output retention across 50-100% RH. The textile platform also serves as a soft, skin-conformable pressure sensor capable of discriminating between joint motion and plantar pressure, and directly powers commercial LEDs and capacitors. This study highlights the potential of interfacial polarization engineering within Janus nanofiber systems as a powerful route to achieve breathable and high-output wearable energy harvesters.

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Publication Details

Journal
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Published
2026-03-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c24631
Primary Topic
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
Type
article
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article

Interface-Tailored Janus Nanofibers for High-Performance and Moisture-Wicking Wearable Energy Harvesting

Yanwen Ouyang, Ziwu Han, Jiapeng Fang, Zhenfei Fu et al.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
article

Interface-Tailored Janus Nanofibers for High-Performance and Moisture-Wicking Wearable Energy Harvesting

Yanwen Ouyang, Ziwu Han, Jiapeng Fang, Zhenfei Fu, Wenmei Ma, Shilong Suo, Peng Fang, Yuanyuan Li, Qing Hu
article en

Abstract

Achieving high electrical output while maintaining reliable performance under humid, skin-contact conditions remains a critical bottleneck for textile-based self-powered sensors. In this work, we develop a Janus nanofiber mat that integrates asymmetric wettability with interfacial polarization modulation to simultaneously regulate moisture transport and enhance triboelectric output. The architecture consists of a hydrophilic PVP/CA layer, a conductive Ag nanowire interlayer, and a hydrophobic F-POSS/P(VDF-TrFE) layer. This multilayer configuration generates simultaneous gradients in pore size and surface energy, forming directional moisture-transport pathways that rapidly dissipate sweat and help stabilize the interfacial triboelectric state. The incorporation of F-POSS enriches polar phases in P(VDF-TrFE) and significantly reduces the surface potential, as revealed by KPFM, thus enhancing tribonegative polarization and improving charge retention capacity. Benefiting from this cooperative interfacial engineering, the Janus device delivers a peak power density of 0.98 W m<sup>-2</sup>, high pressure sensitivities of 4.28 VkPa<sup>-1</sup> and 3.14 mAkPa<sup>-1</sup>, and maintains significantly improved output retention across 50-100% RH. The textile platform also serves as a soft, skin-conformable pressure sensor capable of discriminating between joint motion and plantar pressure, and directly powers commercial LEDs and capacitors. This study highlights the potential of interfacial polarization engineering within Janus nanofiber systems as a powerful route to achieve breathable and high-output wearable energy harvesters.

ACS Applied Materials & InterfacesVol. 18(10)
Laboratoire de physique des Solides (FR), Wuhan University (CN), Institute of Solid State Physics (CN)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 37%
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
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