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Zhou et al. Soft Sci. 2026, 6, 10 Page 37 of 47

MEGTs must also satisfy practical requirements for mechanical durability, environmental stability, and
system integration. Devices must withstand repeated bending, stretching, and sweat exposure, with a
particular focus on maintaining strong interfacial adhesion among the power generation unit, electrodes, and
packaging layer to prevent delamination and performance degradation. At the industrialization level,
achieving seamless integration of power generation units, electronic modules, and energy storage systems -
while maintaining compatibility with existing textile production lines - remains a challenge. Additionally,
complex, high-cost post-processing further restricts large-scale applications. Therefore, MEGT systems must
enable conformal integration of power generation, energy storage, and management modules, while ensuring
long-term operational reliability, commercial feasibility, wearing comfort, and aesthetic appeal.

In the large-area integration of MEGT devices, textile technology and array integration represent the primary
technical strategies for overcoming the inherent performance limitations of 1D fiber-based devices. However,
these approaches also introduce new challenges. Mechanical stresses from bending, stretching, and
interweaving during conventional weaving and knitting processes can easily induce microcracks in brittle
functional materials, leading to localized power loss and individual cell failure. While array integration can
improve system-level output and textile-based architectures can enhance overall device performance, these
strategies alone cannot address the insufficient output of individual units. Optimizing the composition and
structural design of individual devices is therefore critical for enhancing their intrinsic output performance.
Achieving consistent performance and reliable interconnection across thousands of micro-units in mass
production constitutes the most significant engineering challenge, requiring incremental innovations in
materials, fabrication processes, and integrated packaging. Within fabric structures, point contacts or
short-segment contacts between fibers are inherently unstable and prone to energy loss, with performance
further degrading in humid environments due to corrosion at contact interfaces. To address these issues,
standardized functional materials and interface-compatible bonding agents can be used to construct coaxial
or core-shell architectures on individual fibers, providing protection for the power-generating layer.
Advanced manufacturing techniques, such as precision printing or laser-assisted patterning, enable uniform
production and secure interconnections, while a waterproof, breathable, and flexible encapsulation at the
connection points safeguards the entire power generation array. Through such multi-level, system-level
packaging strategies, it is possible to ensure consistency, reliability, and high performance in mass-produced,
fiber-based power-generating textiles.

Practical application limitations
Currently, the practical deployment of MEGTs remains limited due to low I , insufficient power density,
sc
material aging, and defects in the fabrication process. Microampere-level currents and microwatt-level power
are often inadequate to drive external loads independently. Repeated moisture absorption-desorption cycles
accelerate material degradation and structural loosening, thereby shortening device lifespan. Additionally,
the lack of efficient array integration hinders the simultaneous optimization of integration density and
energy conversion efficiency. The fundamental mechanisms of ion migration and flow potential in MEGTs
are not yet fully unified, and no universal model exists to guide the coordinated design of materials and
device architectures. Device configuration strongly influences application scenarios: thin, flexible films
prioritize mechanical compliance and are suited for low-power, wearable applications, whereas 3D porous or
microchannel structures leverage high specific surface area and gradient apertures, making them more
appropriate for distributed energy harvesting in high-humidity or static environments. Therefore,
broadening the practical applicability of MEGTs requires the synchronous optimization of material systems,
structural design, and fabrication processes tailored to the specific requirements of each application scenario.