Hybridized Mechanical and Solar Energy-Driven Self-Powered Hydrogen Production

AbstractPhotoelectrochemical hydrogen generation is a promising approach to address the environmental pollution and energy crisis. In this work, we present a hybridized mechanical and solar energy-driven self-powered hydrogen production system. A rotatory disc-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator was employed to harvest mechanical energy from water and functions as a sufficient external power source. WO3/BiVO4 heterojunction photoanode was synthesized in a PEC water-splitting cell to produce H2. After transformation and rectification, the peak current reaches 0.1 mA at the rotation speed of 60 rpm. In this case, the H2 evolution process only occurs with sunlight irradiation. When the rotation speed is over 130 rpm, the peak photocurrent and peak dark current have nearly equal value. Direct electrolysis of water is almost simultaneous with photoelectrocatalysis of water. It is worth noting that the hydrogen production rate increases to 5.45 and 7.27 μL min−1 without or with light illumination at 160 rpm. The corresponding energy conversion efficiency is calculated to be 2.43% and 2.59%, respectively. All the results demonstrate such a self-powered system can successfully achieve the PEC hydrogen generation, exhibiting promising possibility of energy conversion.

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Recent Advances in Self-Powered Electrochemical Systems

Research ◽

10.34133/2021/4673028 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Linglin Zhou ◽

Di Liu ◽

Li Liu ◽

Lixia He ◽

Xia Cao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Energy ◽

Power Source ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Application Domain ◽

Important Research ◽

Electrochemical System ◽

Electrochemical Systems ◽

External Power Source ◽

External Power ◽

Self Powered

Electrochemistry, one of the most important research and production technology, has been widely applicated in various fields. However, the requirement of external power source is a major challenge to its development. To solve this issue, developing self-powered electrochemical system (SPES) that can work by collecting energy from the environment is highly desired. The invention of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which can transform mechanical energy into electricity, is a promising approach to build SPES by integrating with electrochemistry. In this view, the latest representative achievements of SPES based on TENG are comprehensively reviewed. By harvesting various mechanical energy, five SPESs are built, including electrochemical pollutants treatment, electrochemical synthesis, electrochemical sensor, electrochromic reaction, and anticorrosion system, according to the application domain. Additionally, the perspective for promoting the development of SPES is discussed.

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Triboelectric nanogenerators as new energy technology and self-powered sensors – Principles, problems and perspectives

Faraday Discussions ◽

10.1039/c4fd00159a ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 176 ◽

pp. 447-458 ◽

Cited By ~ 590

Author(s):

Zhong Lin Wang

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

Charge Density ◽

Energy Conversion ◽

Daily Life ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

Ocean Waves ◽

Human Motion ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Standard Material ◽

Self Powered

Triboelectrification is one of the most common effects in our daily life, but it is usually taken as a negative effect with very limited positive applications. Here, we invented a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on organic materials that is used to convert mechanical energy into electricity. The TENG is based on the conjunction of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, and it utilizes the most common materials available in our daily life, such as papers, fabrics, PTFE, PDMS, Al, PVCetc.In this short review, we first introduce the four most fundamental modes of TENG, based on which a range of applications have been demonstrated. The area power density reaches 1200 W m−2, volume density reaches 490 kW m−3, and an energy conversion efficiency of ∼50–85% has been demonstrated. The TENG can be applied to harvest all kinds of mechanical energy that is available in our daily life, such as human motion, walking, vibration, mechanical triggering, rotation energy, wind, a moving automobile, flowing water, rain drops, tide and ocean waves. Therefore, it is a new paradigm for energy harvesting. Furthermore, TENG can be a sensor that directly converts a mechanical triggering into a self-generated electric signal for detection of motion, vibration, mechanical stimuli, physical touching, and biological movement. After a summary of TENG for micro-scale energy harvesting, mega-scale energy harvesting, and self-powered systems, we will present a set of questions that need to be discussed and explored for applications of the TENG. Lastly, since the energy conversion efficiencies for each mode can be different although the materials are the same, depending on the triggering conditions and design geometry. But one common factor that determines the performance of all the TENGs is the charge density on the two surfaces, the saturation value of which may independent of the triggering configurations of the TENG. Therefore, the triboelectric charge density or the relative charge density in reference to a standard material (such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)) can be taken as a measuring matrix for characterizing the performance of the material for the TENG.

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Advanced 3D printing-based triboelectric nanogenerator for mechanical energy harvesting and self-powered sensing

Materials Today ◽

10.1016/j.mattod.2021.05.017 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Baodong Chen ◽

Wei Tang ◽

Zhong Lin Wang

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

3D Printing ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Self Powered

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A Half-Wave Rectifying Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Self-Powered Water Splitting towards Hydrogen Production

Nano Energy ◽

10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106870 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 106870

Author(s):

Shuo Li ◽

Jinxing Jiang ◽

Ningning Zhai ◽

Jingya Liu ◽

Kun Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydrogen Production ◽

Water Splitting ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Half Wave ◽

Self Powered

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Supramolecular Complex Design and Function for Photodynamic Therapy and Solar Energy Conversion via Hydrogen Production: Common Requirements for Molecular Architectures for Varied Light-Activated Processes

Applications of Supramolecular Chemistry ◽

10.1201/b11798-14 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 268-313

Keyword(s):

Photodynamic Therapy ◽

Hydrogen Production ◽

Solar Energy ◽

Energy Conversion ◽

Solar Energy Conversion ◽

Supramolecular Complex ◽

Complex Design ◽

Activated Processes ◽

Molecular Architectures ◽

And Function

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Light-Weight, Self-Powered Sensor Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Big Data Analytics in Sports

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics10192322 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (19) ◽

pp. 2322

Author(s):

Xiaofei Ma ◽

Xuan Liu ◽

Xinxing Li ◽

Yunfei Ma

Keyword(s):

Big Data ◽

Real Time ◽

Data Analytics ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Big Data Analytics ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Light Weight ◽

Table Tennis ◽

Self Powered

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoTs), big data analytics has been widely used in the sport field. In this paper, a light-weight, self-powered sensor based on a triboelectric nanogenerator for big data analytics in sports has been demonstrated. The weight of each sensing unit is ~0.4 g. The friction material consists of polyaniline (PANI) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Based on the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), the device can convert small amounts of mechanical energy into the electrical signal, which contains information about the hitting position and hitting velocity of table tennis balls. By collecting data from daily table tennis training in real time, the personalized training program can be adjusted. A practical application has been exhibited for collecting table tennis information in real time and, according to these data, coaches can develop personalized training for an amateur to enhance the ability of hand control, which can improve their table tennis skills. This work opens up a new direction in intelligent athletic facilities and big data analytics.

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A paper triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered electronic systems

Nanoscale ◽

10.1039/c7nr05222g ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (38) ◽

pp. 14499-14505 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Yanchao Mao ◽

Nan Zhang ◽

Yingjie Tang ◽

Meng Wang ◽

Mingju Chao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Light ◽

Light Emitting Diodes ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Electronic Systems ◽

Light Emitting ◽

Self Powered ◽

White Light Emitting Diodes

A novel paper triboelectric nanogenerator (P-TENG) was successfully developed. The P-TENG can harvest mechanical energy from the action of turning book pages, and the generated electricity could directly light up 80 commercial white light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

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A new insight into ZIF-67 based triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered robot object recognition

Journal of Materials Chemistry C ◽

10.1039/d1tc04729a ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sugato Hajra ◽

Manisha Sahu ◽

Aneeta Manjari Padhan ◽

Jaykishon Swain ◽

Basanta Kumar Panigrahi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Mechanical Energy ◽

Power Source ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Electrostatic Induction ◽

Self Powered ◽

Insight Into

Harvesting mechanical energy from surroundings can be a promising power source for micro/nano-devices. The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) works in the principle of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction. So far, the metals...

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