Energy harvesting and storage textiles

The design and development of piezoelectric energy harvesting textiles has progressed significantly in the past decade with nearly a three order enhancement achieved in the output power. The chapter begins with a brief introduction to the origins of piezoelectric effect, materials, and their processing techniques with a focus on the development of flexible, fibre- and textile-based energy harvesters and storage devices including fibre-based supercapacitors and batteries. The chapter highlights the various routes of fabrication including electrochemical growth and electrospinning and melt-spinning routes followed by discussion of some of the most recent examples of the advances in the area. Developments in the area of flexible supercapacitors and batteries are also discussed in detail with relevant examples. Finally, future trends expected in the fabrication and application of fibre-based soft, flexible energy harvesting and storage structures are discussed.