Cheng Hui, Lee Hiang Kwee, Li Haitao
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225002, P. R. China.
Mater Horiz. 2025 Jul 23. doi: 10.1039/d5mh00815h.
Capturing energy from water phase transitions holds great promise in emerging energy technologies due to its green, sustainable, and abundant nature. However, effectively harvesting this energy remains challenging, largely due to the inherently slow evaporation of water. Here, we present a high-performance hybrid generator that efficiently extracts water-phase transition energy through a multiscale structural design. The system integrates an arched multifunctional film with a polarized PVDF layer, enabling simultaneous photothermal, hydrovoltaic, and pyroelectric energy harvesting. Under optimized conditions, the device achieves a photothermal evaporation rate of ∼1.53 kg m h with a conversion efficiency of ∼96% enabled by rational microcomponent regulation, which is ∼30% higher than its planar counterpart. The hydrovoltaic output reaches a value of ∼1.13 V and an value of ∼6.46 μA, delivering a power density of ∼611 μW m that is 8.5-fold higher than previous designs under 1 sun illumination in seawater. The generator also yields a pyroelectric value of ∼143 V and an value of ∼694 nA, with a peak power density of ∼13.58 mW m. Notably, these electrical outputs surpass earlier reports by >80%, attributed to enhanced interfacial temperature oscillations driven by the arched geometry. This platform reliably powers small electronic devices and enables a self-driven electrocatalytic system for seawater disinfection, achieving sodium hypochlorite production by coupling the generator with commercial Pt electrodes. Our multiscale design offers new insights for developing self-sustaining energy systems capable of harvesting and converting water-based energy for practical applications.
从水的相变中捕获能量在新兴能源技术中具有巨大潜力，因为其具有绿色、可持续和丰富的特性。然而，有效收集这种能量仍然具有挑战性，这主要是由于水固有的缓慢蒸发。在此，我们展示了一种高性能混合发电机，它通过多尺度结构设计有效地提取水相转变能量。该系统将拱形多功能薄膜与极化聚偏氟乙烯层集成在一起，能够同时进行光热、水电和热电能量收集。在优化条件下，通过合理的微组件调节，该装置实现了约1.53 kg m h的光热蒸发速率和约96%的转换效率，比其平面同类产品高出约30%。水电输出达到约1.13 V的电压值和约6.46 μA的电流值，在1个太阳光照下于海水中提供约611 μW m的功率密度，比以前的设计高出8.5倍。该发电机还产生约143 V的热电电压值和约694 nA的电流值，峰值功率密度约为13.58 mW m。值得注意的是，这些电输出比早期报告高出80%以上，这归因于拱形几何结构驱动的界面温度振荡增强。该平台可靠地为小型电子设备供电，并实现了用于海水消毒的自驱动电催化系统，通过将发电机与商用铂电极耦合实现次氯酸钠的生产。我们的多尺度设计为开发能够收集和转换水基能量以用于实际应用的自持能量系统提供了新的见解。
