Strain-induced wave energy harvesting using atomically thin chromiteen

Developing non-corrosive wave energy harvesters is one of the critical technologies required for sustainable energy harvesting. This work studies the effect of surface defects in atomically thin chromiteen for harvesting energy from water waves. An external strain further enhances the surface charge properties of the chromiteen, resulting in higher electrical output in the fabricated flexible nanogenerator (C-FNG) to harvest wave energy. The peak output voltage of the C-FNG device was ∼5 V due to the water wave force. The density functional theory (DFT) results indicate the presence of surface defects in the 2D chromiteen, and the applied strain gradient introduced a redistribution of electron density, possibly due to altered bond lengths in the material. The present work provides an atomistic study of energy harvesting in the marine environment to provide power for deep-sea divers, ships, and any other small electronic sensors or marine Internet of Things in remote areas.