Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination
Published on: March 1, 2020
Starch Cross-Linked Glass Fibers for Water Evaporation-Induced Electricity Generation
Luyao Zhao1, Weicun Chu1, Luyao Li2
1State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Water evaporation-induced electricity devices (WEDs) have become extremely attractive, converting ambient heat into electricity while being environmentally friendly. However, most current WEDs are costly and cumbersome to fabricate, which greatly limits their commercialization process. Here, we present WEDs based on starch cross-linked with glass fiber filter paper (Starch-GF). A single device produced an open-circuit voltage of 0.3 V, a short-circuit current of 1.2 μA, and a maximum power density of 1.8 mW/m2 in a natural environment under 24 h of continuous measurements. Starch-GF devices can drive electronics after charging capacitors and have environmentally friendly properties. This research contributes significantly to the discovery of hydrovoltaic materials and their practical implementation in hydrovoltaic devices.

