Janus Dual-Mode Knitted Electronic Textile with Integrated Triboelectric and Strain Sensing for Motion and Safety Monitoring

Abstract Flexible wearable electronics capable of continuously monitoring human motion while rapidly identifying sudden safety-related events are highly desirable for healthcare monitoring and personal safety. Herein, we develop a Janus dual-mode electronic textile (JDET) that integrates triboelectric and resistive strain sensing within a single knitted textile platform through single-sided silicone rubber encapsulation. The asymmetric architecture preserves the triboelectric sensing functionality of the exposed polyamide surface while mechanically stabilizing the silver-plated conductive network for strain sensing. The JDET exhibits enhanced mechanical robustness, with the tensile stress increasing from 0.45 to 1.0 MPa at 30% strain, together with stable mechanical performance over 200 stretching-releasing cycles. The triboelectric sensing module exhibits voltage and current sensitivities of 2.2 V/N and 0.27 μA/N, respectively, over a force range of 5–25 N, enabling sensitive detection of dynamic mechanical stimuli. Meanwhile, the resistive strain sensing module exhibits a gauge factor of –1.43 within a strain range of 0–20% and maintains stable responses over 500 stretch–release cycles. Benefiting from the spatially separated and complementary sensing mechanisms, the JDET enables continuous monitoring of limb deformation and rapid identification of sudden safety-related events. As a proof of concept, the JDET is integrated into a wearable elbow system for simultaneous motion monitoring and safety warning. This work provides a textile-compatible strategy for multifunctional wearable electronics and offers promising potential for smart protective textiles and wearable safety monitoring, particularly in elderly care.