A Porous SEBS-Based Breathable Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Human Gesture Recognition

It is essential for the wearable sensor to be breathable to facilitate effective sweat evaporation and heat dissipation from the skin-sensor interface for improving user comfort and reliability. In this context, a porous styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene(SEBS)-based breathable triboelectric sensor is proposed, aiming to enhance user comfort and reliability. The sensor's reliability is assessed by evaluating heat dissipation through thermal infrared imaging tests. Similarly, the sensor's breathability is quantified through a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) test, where the achieved breathability of 5.88 mgcm
⁻²
h
⁻¹
is sufficient for sweat evaporation, as an average person loses 1.2-4.2 mgcm
⁻²
h
⁻¹
of sweat. Additionally, laser-induced graphene (LIG) is utilized as the flexible electrode, which is transferred and adhered to the porous SEBS substrate. This method reduces the interfacial resistance and enhances the bonding between the dielectric and electrode layers. With a pressure sensitivity of 0.75 VkPa
^-1
, the fabricated sensor demonstrates successful application in gesture recognition. Thus, this research showcases the considerable potential for developing TENGs with breathable and reliable features, utilizing metal-free electrodes, and underscores their broad applicability in human-machine interfaces and soft robotics systems.