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Li J, Sheng H, Long Y, Zhang Y, Fu C, Li X, Guo W, Yin J. Oxygen Switchable Photo-Hydrovoltaic Effect along the Silicon-Water Interface. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024. [PMID: 39048305 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c06131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Moving boundaries of electrical double layers have shown promising capability in driving directional electron flows in solids, leading to a range of hydrovoltaic effects. The recent discovery of a photohydrovoltaic phenomenon utilizes a moving illumination zone to generate moving boundaries with different properties at the solid-water interface, referred to as the kinetic photovoltaic effect. Here, oxygen was found to act as a chemical switch to turn on and off the kinetic photovoltaic effect. Introducing oxygen would rapidly diminish the kinetic photovoltage in p-Si. On the contrary, degassing oxygen leads to a gradual recovery, whose rate can be facilely speeded up by more than one order through electrostatic gating. Mechanistic investigations of the oxygen switch behavior uncovered a dependence of surface band bending intensity of silicon on oxygen adsorption, which highlights the role of gas molecules, often overlooked, in applications based on semiconductor-liquid interfaces, such as photoelectrochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jidong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
- Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Han Sheng
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Yuyang Long
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Yunfei Zhang
- Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Chenwei Fu
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Xuemei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
- College of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Wanlin Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
- Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Jun Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
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2
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Xia H, Zhou W, Qu X, Wang W, Wang X, Qiao R, Zhang Y, Wu X, Yang C, Ding B, Hu LY, Ran Y, Yu K, Hu S, Li JF, Cheng HM, Qiu H, Yin J, Guo W, Qiu L. Electricity generated by upstream proton diffusion in two-dimensional nanochannels. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024:10.1038/s41565-024-01691-5. [PMID: 39009756 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-024-01691-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
The movement of ions along the pressure-driven water flow in narrow channels, known as downstream ionic transport, has been observed since 1859 to induce a streaming potential and has enabled the creation of various hydrovoltaic devices. In contrast, here we demonstrate that proton movement opposing the water flow in two-dimensional nanochannels of MXene/poly(vinyl alcohol) films, termed upstream proton diffusion, can also generate electricity. The infiltrated water into the channel causes the dissociation of protons from functional groups on the channel surface, resulting in a high proton concentration inside the channel that drives the upstream proton diffusion. Combined with the particularly sluggish water diffusion in the channels, a small water droplet of 5 µl can generate a voltage of ~400 mV for over 330 min. Benefiting from the ultrathin and flexible nature of the film, a wearable device is built for collecting energy from human skin sweat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heyi Xia
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Institute of Materials Research (IMR), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
- Department of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wanqi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyue Qu
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Institute of Materials Research (IMR), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenbo Wang
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Institute of Materials Research (IMR), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruixi Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongkang Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Wu
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Institute of Materials Research (IMR), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuang Yang
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Institute of Materials Research (IMR), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Baofu Ding
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Energy Materials for Carbon Neutrality, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Ling-Yun Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Ran
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications, Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Kuang Yu
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Institute of Materials Research (IMR), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian-Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui-Ming Cheng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Energy Materials for Carbon Neutrality, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
- Faculty of Materials Science and Energy Engineering, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Hu Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jun Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Wanlin Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ling Qiu
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Institute of Materials Research (IMR), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.
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3
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Galembeck F, Santos LP, Burgo TAL, Galembeck A. The emerging chemistry of self-electrified water interfaces. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:2578-2602. [PMID: 38305696 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00763d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Water is known for dissipating electrostatic charges, but it is also a universal agent of matter electrification, creating charged domains in any material contacting or containing it. This new role of water was discovered during the current century. It is proven in a fast-growing number of publications reporting direct experimental measurements of excess charge and electric potential. It is indirectly verified by its success in explaining surprising phenomena in chemical synthesis, electric power generation, metastability, and phase transition kinetics. Additionally, electrification by water is opening the way for developing green technologies that are fully compatible with the environment and have great potential to contribute to sustainability. Electrification by water shows that polyphasic matter is a charge mosaic, converging with the Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars effect, which was discovered one century ago but is still often ignored. Electrified sites in a real system are niches showing various local electrochemical potentials for the charged species. Thus, the electrified mosaics display variable chemical reactivity and mass transfer patterns. Water contributes to interfacial electrification from its singular structural, electric, mixing, adsorption, and absorption properties. A long list of previously unexpected consequences of interfacial electrification includes: "on-water" reactions of chemicals dispersed in water that defy current chemical wisdom; reactions in electrified water microdroplets that do not occur in bulk water, transforming the droplets in microreactors; and lowered surface tension of water, modifying wetting, spreading, adhesion, cohesion, and other properties of matter. Asymmetric capacitors charged by moisture and water are now promising alternative equipment for simultaneously producing electric power and green hydrogen, requiring only ambient thermal energy. Changing surface tension by interfacial electrification also modifies phase-change kinetics, eliminating metastability that is the root of catastrophic electric discharges and destructive explosions. It also changes crystal habits, producing needles and dendrites that shorten battery life. These recent findings derive from a single factor, water's ability to electrify matter, touching on the most relevant aspects of chemistry. They create tremendous scientific opportunities to understand the matter better, and a new chemistry based on electrified interfaces is now emerging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Galembeck
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Campinas, Institute of Chemistry, 13083-872, Campinas, Brazil.
- Galembetech Consultores e Tecnologia, 13080-661, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Leandra P Santos
- Galembetech Consultores e Tecnologia, 13080-661, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Thiago A L Burgo
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), 15054-000, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil
| | - Andre Galembeck
- Department of Fundamental Chemistry, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50740-560, Recife, Brazil
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4
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Ye Z, Gygi F, Galli G. Raman Spectra of Electrified Si-Water Interfaces: First-Principles Simulations. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:51-58. [PMID: 38128587 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the Raman spectra of liquid water in contact with a semiconductor surface using first-principles molecular dynamics simulations. We focus on a hydrogenated silicon-water interface and compute the Raman spectra from time correlation functions of the polarizability. We establish a relationship between Raman spectral signatures and structural properties of the liquid at the interface, and we identify the vibrational impacts of an applied electric field. We show that negative bias leads to a reduction of the number of hydrogen bonds (HBs) formed between the surface and the topmost water layer and an enhancement of the HB interactions between water molecules. Instead, positive bias leads to an enhancement of both the HB interactions between water and the surface and between water molecules, creating a semi-ordered interfacial layer. Our work provides molecular-level insights into electrified semiconductor/water interfaces and the identification of specific structural features through Raman spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zifan Ye
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Francois Gygi
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Giulia Galli
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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5
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Liao Z, Li J, Long Y, Sheng H, Wang X, Li X, Guo W, Yin J. Simultaneous Sensing of Velocity and Position of a Moving Light Source Using Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Structures. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023. [PMID: 38019552 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c12722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Photodetectors based on semiconductor devices have been widely used to sense light position, intensity, and wavelength. However, monitoring the motion velocity of a light beam generally requires complex integration of device arrays. Here, we report a single device of a simple metal-insulator-semiconductor structure for self-powered sensing not only position but also velocity of a light beam or shadow. A velocity-dependent voltage output between two terminals of the metal is observed. It is attributed to light illumination-induced local surface potential change in semiconductors and the following movement of local charges accumulated in the metal due to capacitive coupling. The amplitude of the velocity-dependent voltage can be facilely modulated by applying a gate voltage. These results shed light on compact devices with multiple sensing functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixuan Liao
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Jidong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Yuyang Long
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Han Sheng
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Wang
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Xuemei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
- College of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Wanlin Guo
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
| | - Jun Yin
- College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China
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6
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Lü J, Ren G, Hu Q, Rensing C, Zhou S. Microbial biofilm-based hydrovoltaic technology. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:1155-1167. [PMID: 37085401 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Hydrovoltaic electricity generation (HEG) utilizes the latent environmental heat stored in water, and subsequently harvests the electrical energy. However, sustainable HEG has remained extremely challenging due either to complex fabrication and high cost, or to restricted environmental compatibility and renewability. Electroactive microorganisms are environmentally abundant and viable in performing directional electron transport to produce currents. These distinctive features have inspired microbial HEG systems that can convert environmental energy into hygroelectricity upon water circulation from raindrops, waves, and water moisture, and has recently succeeded as proof of concept for becoming a cutting-edge biotechnology. In this review, recent advances in microbial biofilm-based hydrovoltaic technology are highlighted to better understand a promising method of electricity generation from environmental energy with the aim of practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Lü
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shang Xia Dian Road, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Guoping Ren
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shang Xia Dian Road, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Qichang Hu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shang Xia Dian Road, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Christopher Rensing
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shang Xia Dian Road, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shungui Zhou
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shang Xia Dian Road, Fuzhou 350002, China.
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Tan J, Fang S, Zhang Z, Yin J, Li L, Wang X, Guo W. Self-sustained electricity generator driven by the compatible integration of ambient moisture adsorption and evaporation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3643. [PMID: 35752621 PMCID: PMC9233698 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31221-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Generating sustainable electricity from ambient humidity and natural evaporation has attracted tremendous interest recently as it requires no extra mechanical energy input and is deployable across all weather and geography conditions. Here, we present a device prototype for enhanced power generation from ambient humidity. This prototype uses both heterogenous materials assembled from a LiCl-loaded cellulon paper to facilitate moisture adsorption and a carbon-black-loaded cellulon paper to promote water evaporation. Exposing such a centimeter-sized device to ambient humidity can produce voltages of around 0.78 V and a current of around 7.5 μA, both of which can be sustained for more than 10 days. The enhanced electric output and durability are due to the continuous water flow that is directed by evaporation through numerous, negatively charged channels within the cellulon papers. The voltage and current exhibit an excellent scaling behavior upon device integration to sufficiently power commercial devices including even cell phones. The results open a promising prospect of sustainable electricity generation based on a synergy between spontaneous moisture adsorption and water evaporation. Generating electricity from air opens a promising way for green energy harvesting. Here, authors present a prototype driven by the integration of moisture adsorption with evaporation to generate continuous electricity for a long duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Tan
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China
| | - Sunmiao Fang
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhuhua Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China.,Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Yin
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China
| | - Luxian Li
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiang Wang
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China
| | - Wanlin Guo
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China. .,Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 210016, Nanjing, China.
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8
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Wang X, Lin F, Wang X, Fang S, Tan J, Chu W, Rong R, Yin J, Zhang Z, Liu Y, Guo W. Hydrovoltaic technology: from mechanism to applications. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:4902-4927. [PMID: 35638386 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00778e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Water is a colossal reservoir of clean energy as it adsorbs thirty-five percent of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface. More than half of the adsorbed energy turns into latent heat for water evaporation, driving the water cycle of the Earth.1 Yet, only very limited energy in the water cycle is harvested by current industrial technologies. The past decade has witnessed the emergence of hydrovoltaic technology, which generates electricity from nanomaterials by direct interaction with water and enables energy harvesting from the water cycle such as from rain, waves, flows, moisture and natural evaporation. Years of efforts have been committed to improve the conversion efficiency of hydrovoltaic devices through chemical synthesis of advanced nanomaterials and innovative design of device structures. Further development of this field, however, still requires in-depth understanding of hydrovoltaic mechanisms and boosting of the electrical outputs for wider applications. Here, we present a tutorial review of different mechanisms of generating electricity from droplets, flows, natural evaporation and ambient moisture by analyzing basic interactions at various water-material interfaces. Key aspects in raising the output power of hydrovoltaic devices are then discussed in terms of material synthesis, structural design, and device optimization. We also provide an outlook on the potential applications of this technology ranging from sensors, power suppliers to multifunctional systems as well as on the scientific and technological challenges in transforming its potential into practical utility. The prospects of this emerging field are considered for future endeavor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofan Wang
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Fanrong Lin
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Xiang Wang
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Sunmiao Fang
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Jin Tan
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Weicun Chu
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Rong Rong
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Jun Yin
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Zhuhua Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Yanpeng Liu
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Wanlin Guo
- Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, and Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
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9
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Zhou K, Jiao S, Chen Y, Qin H, Liu Y. Reduced Ionic Conductivity but Enhanced Local Ionic Conductivity in Nanochannels. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:12577-12585. [PMID: 34672598 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c01876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The ionic transport in nanoscale channels with the critical size comparable to ions and solvents shows excellent performance on electrochemical desalination, ion separation, and supercapacitors. However, the key quantity ionic conductivity (σ) in the nanochannel that evaluates how easily the electric current is driven by an external voltage is still unknown because of the challenges in experimental measurement. In this work, we present an atomistic simulation-based study, which shows that how the ion concentration, nanoconfinement, and heterogeneous solvation modify the ionic conductivity in a two-dimensional graphene nanochannel. We find that σ in the confined channel is lower than that in the bulk (σb) at the same concentration along with enhanced ion-ion correlation. However, surprisingly, the local σ near the channel wall is more conductive than σb and is about 2-3 folds of the inner layer due to the highly concentrated charge carriers. Based on the layered feature of σ along the width of the channel, we propose a model that contains two dead (or depletion) layers, two highly conductive layers, and one inner layer to describe the ionic dynamics in the nanochannels. Our findings may open the way to unique nanofluidic functionalities, such as energy harvesting/storage and controlling transport at single-molecule and ion levels using the liquid layer near the wall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Zhou
- Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics and Medical Science, SV LAB, School of Aerospace, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Shuping Jiao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, School of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics and Medical Science, SV LAB, School of Aerospace, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Huasong Qin
- Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics and Medical Science, SV LAB, School of Aerospace, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Yilun Liu
- Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics and Medical Science, SV LAB, School of Aerospace, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
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