Electragel for Advanced Static Charge Mitigation and Energy Harvesting

The heightened sensitivity of modern electronics has outpaced the effectiveness of traditional grounding, ionization, and environmental control methods, which necessitates the development of advanced technologies to reliably safeguard against electromagnetic interference and ensure consistent performance. This study introduces a material called Electragel, a highly transparent (92%) and adhesive (1.6 MPa shear strength) matrix, which can effectively scavenge static charges from stationary and dynamic sources to enable controlled dissipation or abundant electricity generation. This unique charge-absorbing matrix can screen charges from a wide range of materials. Experiments showed that Electragel can reduce the voltage output of electrified surfaces from 1.9 to 0.2 V regardless of the geometry, spread area, or dissipation pattern of the static charges. With its high charge storage capacity, the Electragel matrix is leveraged to harness stored static charges as a source of ambient electricity and achieved maximal outputs of 15.5 W m^{- 2}. The Electragel system exhibited an output range of 20-632 mA m^{- 2} under mechanical stimuli of 1-300 m s^{- 2}, which demonstrates its efficacy in static-charge screening and mechanical endurance. The versatile static charge management of the Electragel system advances the understanding of charge dynamics and enables innovative energy and static control applications.