Electrokinetic Power Harvesting from Wet Textile

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a simple, fabric-based electrokinetic device that passively generates up to 700 mV using ionic motion driven by capillary action and evaporation, offering a sustainable power source for resource-limited settings.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, mechanically simple fabric-based electrokinetic power generator that does not require external energy input or complex structures.

Findings

Generates up to 700 mV open circuit potential.

Operates solely through ionic motion induced by capillary action and evaporation.

Potential for scalable, self-powered electronic devices.

Abstract

Developing low-weight, frugal and sustainable power sources for resource-limited settings appears to be a challenging proposition for the advancement of next-generation sensing devices and beyond. Here, we report the use of centimeter-sized simple wet fabric pieces for electrical power generation, by deploying the interplay of a spontaneously induced ionic motion across fabric channels due to capillary action and simultaneous water evaporation by drawing thermal energy from the ambient. Unlike other reported devices with similar functionalities, our arrangement does not necessitate any input mechanical energy or complex topographical structures to be embedded in the substrate. A single device is capable of generating a sustainable open circuit potential up to 700 mV. This suffices establishing an inherent capability of functionalizing self-power electronic devices, and also to be potentially harnessed for enhanced power generation with feasible up-scaling.