Boosting electrical output of nanostructured silicon hydrovoltaic device via cobalt oxide enabled electrode surface contact

Ferroelectric Layer‐Assisted Asymmetric Heterojunction Boosts Power Output in Silicon Hydrovoltaic Device

“…The Debey screening effect and Coulomb interaction between unidirectional water molecules and SiNWs induce hole‐selective flow to the upward electrode. [ 12 ] It can give rise to the emergence of direct current signals. However, the selective segregation of charge carriers by only relying on the Debye screening effect is restricted.…”

“…[ 32 ] The SiNWs utilized in this work possess a Fermi level of ≈4.10 eV. [ 12 ] When it comes into contact with the P(VDF‐TrFE) material, the forward polarization of this layer enhances the built‐in electric field, inducing a larger upward band bending. The enhanced internal electric field would build larger barriers to inhibit electron flow to the top electrode.…”

“…[8][9][10] But those strategies are highly contingent on materials' inherent properties, setting stiff limitations on the choice of materials and therefore constraining the diversity of application scenarios. Other possible enhancement strategies, such as surface chemistry modification, [11,12] and structural engineering of functional materials, [13] have been suggested, which could somewhat mitigate the material restraints, yet the trade-off lies in the complexity of manufacturing and an irreversible modulation of electrical performance. An alternative controllable method exploits the solar-driven interfacial water evaporation, which is, however, not steady or accurate for tailoring the electrical output of water evaporation-induced HDs because of the stringent restrictions imposed by ambient conditions and temporary conversions.…”

Electricity Generation from Phase Transitions between Liquid and Gaseous Water

“…The sandwiched structure normally utilizes a porous top electrode which allows for water permeation and evaporation. [59][60][61][62][63] As water molecules evaporate from the top electrode surface, the inner water capillary flow within the nanochannels of active materials can be induced and electricity is continuously generated throughout the materials.…”

Capillary front broadening for water-evaporation-induced electricity of one kilovolt

“…1–9 It has been receiving tremendous attention since the first report 4 and intensive research efforts have been devoted to enhancing the output performance. A wide range of nanomaterials, including carbon materials, metal oxides, silicon nanowires, metal–organic frameworks, microbial biofilms, natural wood, and layered double hydroxides, have been studied as potential hydrovoltaic materials 3–5,10–31 , and appropriate surface functionalization can further enhance the output performance. 32 As water-evaporation-induced electricity essentially converts thermal energy into electric power, thermal management of the devices and harvesting solar energy have also been found to effectively boost power output.…”