Moisture-electric generation textiles for wearable energy devices: materials, structures, manufacturing, and applications

Moisture-electric generators, as an environmentally friendly energy-harvesting technology, operate independently of external conditions such as sunlight, water droplets, or wind, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional energy sources. Moisture from the air is captured by a functional power-generation layer, where phase transitions of water molecules occur, enabling the effective conversion of the released chemical potential energy into electrical energy. Moisture-electric generation textiles (MEGTs) inherently exhibit flexibility, breathability, and biocompatibility, demonstrating significant potential as self-sustainable power sources for wearable electronics. Through feasible integration approaches, multiple functionalities can be incorporated into a single textile-based platform, paving the way for truly intelligent wearable systems. This review summarizes recent advances in moisture-electric generation mechanisms, materials, and device architectures of MEGTs. Particular emphasis is placed on modern fiber and textile manufacturing technologies, as well as on functional enhancement strategies for power generation layers and electrodes, including wet spinning, electrospinning, screen printing, and digital printing. Besides, the latest one-, two-, and three-dimensional device configurations of MEGTs are presented. The applications of these devices are further discussed in the contexts of wearable energy supply, healthcare monitoring, and smart agriculture. Based on this comprehensive analysis, this review aims to provide guidance for the optimization and innovation of flexible moisture-electric generating devices, accelerating their deployment in intelligent electronic textiles and other wearable technologies.