Teflon coated thread-shaped contact electrification fibre

The development of the Teflon^® coated thread-shaped contact electrification fibre (CEF) is presented. This fibre has a simple structure, with a thin conductive core and a thin insulating coating. Contact electrification of the fibres has been characterised using both touch mode and drag mode. The output peak voltages generated from contact between the fibre and test rods were ~6 V for both modes. Owing to a very simple design, the CEF has a wide range of applications. In the future, these CEFs can be directly incorporated into the fabric to harvest energy from the surrounding environment and human activities.