Double-network thermocells with extraordinary toughness and boosted power density for continuous heat harvesting

Lei, Zhouyue; Gao, Wei; Wu, Peiyi

doi:10.1016/j.joule.2021.06.003

Cited by 108 publications

(145 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…It is five times higher than that of the toughest double-network thermocells and hundreds of times higher than that of thermocells (Figure 3e). [3,13,16,20,21,23,24,43] The remarkable fatigue resistance is because the hierarchical fibrils with high orientation and partially crystalline domains serve as strong barriers to crack extension, like the aligned myofibrils in natural muscles. Overall, compared with existing quasi-solid thermocells, including chemically cross-linked PVA-based thermocells and physically cross-linked thermocells, the thermocell shows several orders of magnitude improvements in the strength, toughness, and fatigue threshold, even surpassing the highest mechanical record achieved by a double-network thermocell (Figure 3f and Table S1, Supporting Information).…”

Section: Enhanced Biomimetic Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall, compared with existing quasi-solid thermocells, including chemically cross-linked PVA-based thermocells and physically cross-linked thermocells, the thermocell shows several orders of magnitude improvements in the strength, toughness, and fatigue threshold, even surpassing the highest mechanical record achieved by a double-network thermocell (Figure 3f and Table S1, Supporting Information). [3,13,16,23,43]…”

Section: Enhanced Biomimetic Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The yellow, blue, and purple regions represent the quasi-solid thermocells based on physically cross-linked, chemically crosslinked, and double networks, respectively. [3,13,16,23,43] changed matrix's anisotropy is ascribed to the negligible interactions between the redox ions and the polymer matrix. The structural anisotropy of the matrix has no influence on the differences in thermodynamic entropy or concentration between the redox couples.…”

Section: Boosted Thermoelectric Properties and An Overall Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…d) A comprehensive comparison of fatigue threshold, toughness, and P max /(∆T) 2 among our thermocell (this work), existing PVA-based chemically cross-linked thermocells, physically cross-linked thermocells, and a double-network thermocell. [3,13,16,23,43] threshold are below 10 J m −2 , severely limiting the thermocells' sustainability and lifespan in practical applications. On the contrary, this work not only shows a comparable high power density but also has a 1790-fold increase in mechanical toughness (Figure 4d and Table S4, Supporting Information).…”

Section: Boosted Thermoelectric Properties and An Overall Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anti‐Fatigue and Highly Conductive Thermocells for Continuous Electricity Generation

Lei

Gao

Zhu

et al. 2022

Adv Funct Materials

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The integration of wearable technologies with the human body requires power supplies that are mechanically compatible and able to continuously generate electricity like biological systems. Distinct from existing batteries relying on periodic recharging, thermocells added with thermogalvanic ions are a promising candidate because they enable continuous electricity generation through redox reactions driven by ubiquitous waste heat. However, challenges remain in mechanical adaptability, fatigue resistance, and ion conduction, severely limiting thermocells’ sustainability and lifespan in practical applications. Herein, bionic mechanical training is applied to develop anti‐fatigue and highly conductive thermocells with hierarchical fibrils and aligned nanochannels. It achieves simultaneous enhancements in mechanical performance and output power density. Compared with existing quasi‐solid thermocells with disordered nano‐networks, there are ≈1790‐fold and 5‐fold increases in the mechanical toughness and ionic conductivity, respectively. The stretchability can accommodate the human body's deformation, and the power density is comparable to that of state‐of‐the‐art quasi‐solid thermocells. Moreover, this is the first demonstration of an anti‐fatigue thermocell with a threshold of 2500 J m−2, which is comparable to that of natural muscles and enables it to take full advantage of the continuous energy conversion mode.

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Section: Enhanced Biomimetic Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Enhanced Biomimetic Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Boosted Thermoelectric Properties and An Overall Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Boosted Thermoelectric Properties and An Overall Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Anti‐Fatigue and Highly Conductive Thermocells for Continuous Electricity Generation

Lei

Gao

Zhu

et al. 2022

Adv Funct Materials

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“…Most importantly, the bands at 3033, 988, and 964 cm À1 ascribed to the double bonds of AM disappeared during the formation of hydrogel, indicating the successful polymerization of AM monomers. [39,40]…”

Section: Chemical Structure Of Ionic Hydrogelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ionic Thermoelectric Effect Inducing Cation‐Enriched Surface of Hydrogel to Enhance Output Performance of Triboelectric Nanogenerator

et al. 2022

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The most robust consensus related to ionic‐hydrogel‐based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is that the charge density at the solid interface plays a pivotal role in its output performance. However, there has been no reliable evidence of the mechanism regarding the influence of ion enrichment on TENG. Higher surface charge density at the solid interface could result in higher output performance. Herein, the ionic hydrogel is prepared through polymerization reaction of the organic monomers with LiCl as the ionic conductor. The ion migration on the hydrogel surface is regulated via tuning the temperature difference between the top and bottom sides. Upon contacting with the upper electrode, more induction charges are induced on the cation‐enriched surface of hydrogel, leading to a larger output of the TENG. At the temperature difference of 25 °C, the open‐circuit voltage and maximum output power density is increased by 77% and 166% compared with the TENG without temperature field, respectively. When the temperature of the hydrogel surface is higher than 50 °C, the output performance of TENG would decrease due to the water loss of hydrogel. This research will advance further understanding of the mechanism of thermoelectric ionic conductors in TENGs, self‐powered sensors, and wearable devices.

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Integration of Energy Conversion and Storage Devices

2023

Low‐Grade Heat Harvesting

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Double-network thermocells with extraordinary toughness and boosted power density for continuous heat harvesting

Cited by 108 publications

References 51 publications

Anti‐Fatigue and Highly Conductive Thermocells for Continuous Electricity Generation

Anti‐Fatigue and Highly Conductive Thermocells for Continuous Electricity Generation

Ionic Thermoelectric Effect Inducing Cation‐Enriched Surface of Hydrogel to Enhance Output Performance of Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Integration of Energy Conversion and Storage Devices

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