Phyto-inspired sustainable and high-performance fabric generators via moisture absorption-evaporation cycles
Yunhao Hu, Weifeng Yang, Wei Wei, Zhouquan Sun, Bo Wu, Kerui Li, Yaogang Li, Qinghong Zhang, Ru Xiao, Chengyi Hou, Hongzhi Wang
Abstract
Collecting energy from the ubiquitous water cycle has emerged as a promising technology for power generation. Here, we have developed a sustainable moisture absorption-evaporation cycling fabric (Mac-fabric). On the basis of the cycling unidirectional moisture conduction in the fabric and charge separation induced by the negative charge channel, sustainable constant voltage power generation can be achieved. A single Mac-fabric can achieve a high power output of 0.144 W/m 2 (5.76 × 10 2 W/m 3 ) at 40% relative humidity (RH) and 20°C. By assembling 500 series and 300 parallel units of Mac-fabrics, a large-scale demo achieves 350 V of series voltage and 33.76 mA of parallel current at 25% RH and 20°C. Thousands of Mac-fabric units are sewn into a tent to directly power commercial electronic products such as mobile phones in outdoor environments. The lightweight (300 g/m 2 ) and soft characteristics of the Mac-fabric make it ideal for large-area integration and energy collection in real circumstances.