Quadrupling the stored charge by extending the accessible density of states

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a nanoscale energy storage device that uses a field effect to nearly triple stored charge by expanding the accessible electronic density of states, enabling internal redox reactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel field-effect approach to significantly enhance charge storage in nanoscale devices by broadening the electronic density of states, applicable to various redox-active materials.

Findings

Charge storage increased nearly threefold with field effect.

Redox reactions occur within the nanowire, not just on the surface.

Method is compatible with microtechnology for device integration.

Abstract

Nanosized energy storage, energy-harvesting, and functional devices are the three key components for integrated self-power systems. Here, we report on nanoscale electrochemical devices with a nearly three-fold enhanced stored charge under the field effect. We demonstrated the field-effect transistor can not only work as a functional component in nanodevices but also serve as an amplifier for the nanosized energy storage blocks. This unusual increase in energy storage is attributed to having a wide range of accessible electronic density of states (EDOS), hence redox reactions are occurring within the nanowire and not being confined to the surface. Initial results with MoS2 suggest that this field effect modulated energy storage mechanism may also apply to many other redox-active materials. Our work demonstrates the novel application of the field-effect in energy storage devices as a universal strategy to improve ion diffusion and the surface-active ion concentration of the active material, which can greatly enhance the charge storage ability of nanoscale devices. The fabrication process of the field-effect energy storage device is also compatible with microtechnology and can be integrated into other microdevices and nanodevices.