A Self-Powered Nanogenerator for the Electrical Protection of Integrated Circuits from Trace Amounts of Liquid

With the increase in the use of electronic devices in many different environments, a need has arisen for an easily implemented method for the rapid, sensitive detection of liquids in the vicinity of electronic components. In this work, a high-performance power generator that combines carbon nanoparticles and TiO₂ nanowires has been fabricated by sequential electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of a single generator are found to exceed 0.7 V and 100 μA when 6 μL of water was applied. The generator is also found to have a stable and reproducible response to other liquids. An output voltage of 0.3 V was obtained after 244, 876, 931, and 184 μs, on exposure of the generator to 6 μL of water, ethanol, acetone, and methanol, respectively. The fast response time and high sensitivity to liquids show that the device has great potential for the detection of small quantities of liquid. In addition, the simple easily implemented sequential EPD method ensures the high mechanical strength of the device. This compact, reliable device provides a new method for the sensitive, rapid detection of extraneous liquids before they can impact the performance of electronic circuits, particularly those on printed circuit board.