Dual-catalytic polymerization of high-performance PEDOT thermoelectric fabrics for self-powered sensing

Flexible thermoelectric fabrics hold great promise for applications in smart wearable devices, particularly in areas such as self-powered sensing, energy harvesting, and human-machine interaction. However, with the rapid advancement of flexible electronics, higher standards are being set for the durability, integration, and multifunctionality of wearable electronics. Currently reported thermoelectric materials still struggle to meet these demanding requirements. In this study, a dual-catalytic polymerization strategy is proposed to fabricate PEDOT-based thermoelectric fabrics by synergizing enzymatic and chemical polymerization. Enzymatic polymerization contributes to forming dense conductive layers, while chemical polymerization enables rapid construction of a structural framework, resulting in PEDOT@Nylon fabrics with excellent electrical conductivity (90.91 S/m), good durability (stable performance after 3 h washing and 600 bending cycles), and stretchability. The thermoelectric fabric can serve as a self-powered temperature sensor for contact/non-contact hot-cold recognition and ambient temperature monitoring over a broad temperature range (ΔT ~ 40 K). Additionally, it functions as a strain sensor, capable of real-time and rapid monitoring of human motion signals by integrating a wireless transmission system (with a response time of ~0.16 s). This efficient (4 h) dual-catalytic polymerization strategy produces high-performance thermoelectric fabrics, promising for wearable devices, smart healthcare, human-computer interaction, and next-generation multifunctional fabrics.