With the miniaturization of electronic devices and their integration within human wearable accessories, harvesting tiny energy from the ambient environment for supplying these low-energy and wearable electronics has drawn huge research interest and shown broad application prospects. However, the practical application of the current technologies still suffers from the instability and variation of ambient temperature, weather or limited distribution of the energy sources.

A research group led by Prof. LI Chaoxu from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has revealed that liquid metal-based self-oscillating bimorph films may promise the persistent energy-harvest from moisture via electromagnetic induction.

Their findings were published in Advanced Functional Materials on September 22, 2023.

The group found that in presence of marine alginate as low as 0.075 wt%, EGaIn droplets can be encapsulated with 2D MXene nanosheets in their suspension. And biomorph actuating films could be fabricated with simple liquid-casting method. These films have top MXene-rich layer and bottom EGaIn-rich layer of self-sintered EGaIn droplets. The film can oscillate persistently with an actuating speed of ~260° s^？1 and a frequency of ~0.1 Hz under a humidity gradience (20% cm^？1) as a novel actuator. Within a magnetic field (intensity ~0.5 T), the self-oscillating actuator can generate an alternating faradic current with an amplitude at least 1360 μA m^？2.

"The current work may not only provide a facile parthway for fabrication of self-oscillating actuators but also propose a new route for persistent and high-efficiency harvest of electricity from the ambient environment." said Prof. LI Mingjie, one of the corresponding authors of the study.

Two-dimensionally nano-capsulating liquid metal for self-sintering and self-oscillating bimorph composites with persistent energy-harvest property. (Image by LI Mingjie)

(Text by LI Mingjie)

Contact:

KONG Fengru

Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Tel: 86-532-58261072

E-mail: kongfr@qibebt.ac.cn