Synergistic Effect of Hydrophilic Layers for Moisture-Introduced Hybrid Power Generation

Hygroelectricity, converting chemical potential energy of abundant moisture from the atmosphere into electricity, is one of the most promising technologies in the development of next-generation sustainable energy. Here, a uniquely designed hygroelectric generator is proposed with a stable self-maintained water gradient and enhanced electricity generation by synergistic water transport in the multilayer structure, which boosts voltage and current outputs simultaneously as well as demonstrates a low environmental reliance. The devised multilayer structure facilitates charge separation of functional groups and boosts interfacial reactions with top electrodes, which first enabled a high voltage above 1.4 V in a wide range of humidity (0-85%) and an ultra-high current of 1.15 mA (4.6 mA·cm^-2) at 85% relative humidity due to hybrid energy contribution. The rechargeable moisture battery is achieved based on a hygroelectric generator and delivered a high Coulombic efficiency of 106%. The hygroelectric devices with high outputs are integrated into the self-powered systems to charge a commercial mobile phone and achieve wearable human activity monitoring. Therefore, this work opens a bright prospect in achieving extremely high outputs with a low environmental reliance for sustainable energy generation systems.