Interfacial Engineering of Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductors for Moisture-Enabled Electric Generation
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 7, 2026

Merging Ion Concentration Polarization between Juxtaposed Ion Exchange Membranes to Block the Propagation of the Polarization Zone
Published on: February 23, 2017
Bipasha Saikia1, Barsha Rani Bora1, Kiran Mayawad1
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India.
Abstract:
Powered by the abundance and ubiquitousness of atmospheric water, moisture-enabled electric generators (MEGs) are emerging as a promising candidate for the next-generation power source. Here, we develop a new type of MEG that exploits the interfacial potential arising from mixed ionic-electronic conducting metal oxides with opposite semiconducting types. The interfacial potentials of (p-type) NiO and (n-type) TiO2 were increased from 0.028 V to 1.2 V by doping NiO with 14% (atomic%) ferric ions (Fe3+) and TiO2 with 0.5% (atomic%) nitride ions (N3-). Similarly, upon increasing the atmospheric humidity level, the output current of the Fe-NiO/N-TiO2 interface was boosted from 0.052 εA to 0.277 µA, attributed to the enhanced ionic charges formed on the surface of hygroscopic Fe-doped NiO (Fe-NiO). Upon replacing the poorly conducting nitrogen-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2) with mixed conducting partially reduced graphene oxide (Pr-GO), a 5.7 times enhancement in the current value was achieved, albeit with a 2.4-fold reduction in output potential. The optimized mixed-conductor-based MEG generated sufficient power to operate small electronic devices such as a calculator and a light-emitting diode (LED), highlighting its practical applicability for sustainable energy harvesting from atmospheric moisture.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Interfacial Electrochemical Methods: Overview
Electrochemical Systems
The Electrical Double Layer
Ionic Association
Induced Electric Fields: Applications
Theory of Strong Electrolytes

