High‐Performance Weavable Piezoelectret Fibers via Scalable In Situ Poling Melt‐Spinning for Real‐Time Knee Joint Rehabilitation Monitoring
Abstract
ABSTRACT The scalable production of high‐performance piezoelectric fibers remains a major hurdle for smart textile applications. Here, we report an in situ polarization strategy integrated into an industrially viable melt‐spinning process for the continuous fabrication of piezoelectric polypropylene/barium titanate (PP/BTO) composite fibers. This approach simultaneously induces interfacial cavitation to form electret pore structures and accomplishes rapid dipole polarization under a high electric field during fiber drawing, eliminating the need for post‐processing. The optimized PP/BTO fibers exhibit a high piezoelectric coefficient ( d 33 ) of 1.8 pC/N and a surface potential of −3.4 V, achieved with an ultralow poling time of 0.3 s. The fibers demonstrate exceptional flexibility and weavability, enabling their integration into large‐scale textiles. As a proof‐of‐concept, a sensor‐woven insole is constructed for real‐time gait monitoring. Combined with machine learning, the system successfully recognizes different gait patterns with over 84% accuracy, showcasing significant potential for personalized rehabilitation diagnostics. This work provides an efficient and scalable pathway for manufacturing functional fibers, bridging the gap between laboratory innovation and industrial production.
Article Details
Authors (7)
Huanhuan Zhang
Tong Li
Mingjin Liu
Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
Senhao Zhang
Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University
Qian Chen
Jinping Qu
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Zuankai Wang