Analyzing the output performance of the knitted triboelectric nanogenerator based on the fish-scale shape using fast Fourier transform

Knitted textiles as one kind of outstanding flexible substrate that have been universally applied in smart wearables. Structural design and output performance analysis of knitted-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is significant research points. It is essential to provide inspiration in the TENGs applications. In this study, we designed and fabricated a fish-scale-based triboelectric nanogenerator using a formed knitted textile composed of commercial threads as a pair of contact areas. The deformation of the scale-shaped fabric was from the three-dimensional structure, which provided an effective contact area. We investigated the elastic yarn specification and scale-shaped distribution and analyzed their output performance in the frequency domain using fast Fourier transform. The result illustrated that the amplitude, phase, and power spectrum had obvious differences and can reflect the working states during the motions. The power spectrum could reach the maximum value of 280, which showed the potential for applications in the low-frequency motion.