Modified Wood Fibers Spontaneously Harvest Electricity from Moisture

• Published in: Polymers Vol. 16; no. 2; p. 260
• Main Authors: Zhang, Tao, Han, Xuewen, Peng, Yukang, Yu, Han, Pu, Junwen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-01-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: ambient air; Carbon black; Cellulose; Charge transport; Clean energy; Clean technology; Composite materials; Copper; Efficiency; Electric generators; Electric properties; Electricity; electricity generator; Electrodes; Energy; Energy conversion; Fibers; Generators; Humidity; Identification and classification; Ion concentration; ionic transport; Light emitting diodes; Lignin; Lignocellulose; Low cost; Mechanical properties; Moisture; moisture-enabled; Open circuit voltage; Power management; Short circuit currents; Sodium; Wood; Wood fibers; wood modification; China; Beijing China; wood modification; moisture-enabled; ambient air; electricity generator; ionic transport
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym16020260

With the rapid development of modern society, our demand for energy is increasing. And the extensive use of fossil energy has triggered a series of problems such as an energy crisis and environmental pollution. A moisture-enabled electric generator (MEG) is a new type of energy conversion method, which can directly convert the ubiquitous moisture in the air into electrical energy equipment. It has attracted great interest for its renewable and environmentally friendly qualities. At present, most MEGs still have low power density, strong dependence on high humidity, and high cost. Herein, we report the development of a high-efficiency MEG based on a lignocellulosic fiber frame with high-power-density, all-weather, and low-cost characteristics using a simple strategy that optimizes the charge transport channel and ion concentration difference. The MEG devices we manufactured can generate the open-circuit voltage of 0.73 V and the short-circuit current of 360 μA, and the voltage can still reach 0.6 V at less than 30% humidity. It is possible to drive commercial electronic devices such as light-emitting diodes, electronic displays, and electronic calculators by simply connecting several electric generators in series. Biomass-based moisture-enabled electric generation has a low cost, is easy to integrate on a large scale, and is green and pollution-free, providing clean energy for low-humidity or high-electricity-cost areas.