Electric-Fish-Inspired Thin Hydrogel Electrocytes Achieve High Power Density and Environmental Robustness

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Bioelectronics
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Hydrogel-based power sources mimic electric fish electrocytes for soft electronics.
• Existing designs suffer from high resistance, low power density, and poor stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable fabrication method for thin, stable hydrogel electrocytes.
• To enhance power density, environmental stability, and energy tunability of hydrogel power sources.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a layer-by-layer spin-coating technique for precise hydrogel thickness control.
• Formulated hydrogels with glycerol-carboxylated chitosan for improved hydration and antifreezing properties.
• Integrated PEDOT:PSS hydrogel electrodes for material compliance and robust power systems.

Main Results:

• Fabricated hydrogel electrocytes with a thickness of 106.1 µm, comparable to biological electrocytes.
• Achieved high instantaneous power density (44.0 kW m^-3) and low area-normalized resistance (2.0 × 10^-3 Ω m²).
• Demonstrated excellent long-term hydration (>98.7% after 120 h at 60% RH) and antifreezing performance down to -80 °C.

Conclusions:

• The developed hydrogel electrocytes overcome critical limitations in bio-inspired energy storage.
• The scalable fabrication method and enhanced material properties pave the way for stable, high-performance power sources.
• These advancements support the development of next-generation wearable, implantable, and autonomous electronic devices.