Flexible and portable graphene on carbon cloth as a power generator for electricity generation

• Published in: Carbon (New York) Vol. 140; pp. 488 - 493
• Main Authors: Hou, Baofei, Kong, Denan, Qian, Jingwen, Yu, Yi, Cui, Zhenqi, Liu, Xinghang, Wang, Jianying, Mei, Tao, Li, Jinhua, Wang, Xianbao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Carbon; Chemical compounds; Clean energy; Cloth; Electricity generation; Electricity pricing; Energy harvesting; Environmental energy; Evaporation; Generators; Graphene; Inorganic salts; Photothermal conversion; Portable equipment; Power supplies; Saline solutions; Salt; Sodium chloride; Solar desalination; Water evaporation; Water evaporation; Environmental energy; Electricity generation; Solar desalination
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2018.09.005

Utilizing flexible and portable device to generate electricity via a natural process has aroused extensive and intensive interest. Herein, a low-cost graphene/carbon cloth (G/CC) is prepared to generate electricity induced by water evaporation that is driven from solar photothermal conversion. The G/CC device can constantly generate electricity approximately up to 0.37 V in 0.5 M NaCl solution through solar-driven water evaporation. High photothermal efficiency up to 83% is achieved when the device is applied to inorganic salt solutions or organic solvents under solar illumination with a power density of 1 kW m−2. This work provides a simple method that can convert the environmental energy into electricity, and develops a new energy harvester as a green power supply system that is feasible in a use of water evaporation, pollutant treatment and medicine disinfection. A graphene/carbon cloth device is fabricated to generate electricity approximately up to 0.37 V in 0.5 M NaCl solution through solar-driven water evaporation. [Display omitted]