Multistage coupling water-enabled electric generator with customizable energy output

• Published in: Nature communications 2023-09, Vol.14 (1), p.5702-9, Article 5702
• Main Authors: Li, Puying, Hu, Yajie, He, Wenya, Lu, Bing, Wang, Haiyan, Cheng, Huhu, Qu, Liangti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 140/146; 147/135; 639/166/987; 639/301/1005/1007; 639/4077/4072/4062; Adaptability; Atmospheric circulation; Coupling; Diffusion barriers; Diffusion layers; Electric generators; Electricity; Energy harvesting; Energy output; Energy sources; Generators; Humanities and Social Sciences; Internal water; Liquid flow; Modular equipment; Moisture effects; multidisciplinary; Optimization; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sustainable energy; Water; Water circulation; Water discharge; Water flow
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41371-x

Constant water circulation between land, ocean and atmosphere contains great and sustainable energy, which has been successfully employed to generate electricity by the burgeoning water-enabled electric generator. However, water in various forms (e.g. liquid, moisture) is inevitably discharged after one-time use in current single-stage water-enabled electric generators, resulting in the huge waste of inherent energy within water circulation. Herein, a multistage coupling water-enabled electric generator is proposed, which utilizes the internal liquid flow and subsequently generated moisture to produce electricity synchronously, achieving a maximum output power density of ~92 mW m −2 (~11 W m −3 ). Furthermore, a distributary design for internal water in different forms enables the integration of water-flow-enabled and moisture-diffusion-enabled electricity generation layers into mc-WEG by a “flexible building blocks” strategy. Through a three-stage adjustment process encompassing size control, space optimization, and large-scale integration, the multistage coupling water-enabled electric generator realizes the customized electricity output for diverse electronics. Twenty-two units connected in series can deliver ~10 V and ~280 μA, which can directly lighten a table lamp for 30 min without aforehand capacitor charging. In addition, multistage coupling water-enabled electric generators exhibit excellent flexibility and environmental adaptability, providing a way for the development of water-enabled electric generators. Liquid water or moisture discharge is a significant source of energy waste in current single-stage water-enabled electric generators. Here, authors propose a modular multistage coupling device that integrates internal liquid water flow and subsequently generated moisture to optimize energy harvesting at all stages.