Ren Qinyi, Ni Kun, Wang Zhiqi, Zhang Chenkai, Liu Shanfei, Liu Ruiyuan, Zhang Xiaohong
Key Laboratory for Advanced Carbon Materials and Wearable Energy Technologies of Jiangsu Province, Soochow Institute of Energy and Material Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, P. R. China.
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, P. R. China.
Adv Mater. 2025 Jul 9:e2508391. doi: 10.1002/adma.202508391.
Hydrovoltaic electricity generators represent an emerging technology for converting low-grade water-based energy into electricity, and hydrogels are favored for their water absorption and ion-responsive properties. However, the controllable fabrication and precise micromorphological characterization of nanoporous hydrogels remain challenging, hindering the understanding of ion transport within confined water channels. In this work, a nanoporous hydrogel with tunable pore sizes is presented, developed through a multiple hydrogen-bonding crosslinking strategy using γ-polyglutamic acid and hydroxylated carbon nanotubes. The pore size can be systematically tuned from 78 to 161 nm, and cryo-electron microscopy confirms the presence of hydrated nanochannels. The results highlight the critical role of streaming potential in electricity generation, with the device achieving a threefold increase in voltage by reducing the pore size. The optimized device delivers an open-circuit voltage of 1.05 V and a short-circuit current of 100 µA with a 0.1 m NaCl droplet. Moreover,a practical application is demonstrated through a sweat-monitoring patch that visually responds to ion concentration changes. This work advances the design of high-efficiency hydrovoltaic systems by establishing a clear link between tunable nanoscale architecture and device performance, paving the way for scalable energy harvesting and sensing technologies.
水力发电发电机是一种将低品位水基能源转化为电能的新兴技术，水凝胶因其吸水性和离子响应特性而备受青睐。然而，纳米多孔水凝胶的可控制造和精确的微观形态表征仍然具有挑战性，这阻碍了对受限水通道内离子传输的理解。在这项工作中，我们展示了一种孔径可调的纳米多孔水凝胶，它是通过使用γ-聚谷氨酸和羟基化碳纳米管的多重氢键交联策略开发的。孔径可以系统地从78纳米调整到161纳米，冷冻电子显微镜证实了水合纳米通道的存在。结果突出了流动电势在发电中的关键作用，该装置通过减小孔径使电压提高了三倍。优化后的装置在0.1 m NaCl液滴下可提供1.05 V的开路电压和100 µA的短路电流。此外，通过一个能直观响应离子浓度变化的汗液监测贴片展示了其实际应用。这项工作通过在可调谐纳米级结构与器件性能之间建立明确联系，推进了高效水力发电系统的设计，为可扩展的能量收集和传感技术铺平了道路。
