Leaf-based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generation
Abstract In the era of big data, developing next-generation self-powered continuous energy harvesting systems is of great importance. Taking advantage of fallen leaves’ specific structural advantage gifted by nature, we propose a facile approach to convert fallen leaves into energy harvesters from u...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60341-z |
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| author | Shuai Guo Yaoxin Zhang Zhen Yu Ming Dai Xuanchen Liu Hongbo Wang Siqi Liu J. Justin Koh Wanxin Sun Yuanping Feng Yuanzheng Chen Lin Yang Peng Sun Geyu Lu Cunjiang Yu Wenshuai Chen Stefaan De Wolf Zuankai Wang Swee Ching Tan |
| author_facet | Shuai Guo Yaoxin Zhang Zhen Yu Ming Dai Xuanchen Liu Hongbo Wang Siqi Liu J. Justin Koh Wanxin Sun Yuanping Feng Yuanzheng Chen Lin Yang Peng Sun Geyu Lu Cunjiang Yu Wenshuai Chen Stefaan De Wolf Zuankai Wang Swee Ching Tan |
| author_sort | Shuai Guo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In the era of big data, developing next-generation self-powered continuous energy harvesting systems is of great importance. Taking advantage of fallen leaves’ specific structural advantage gifted by nature, we propose a facile approach to convert fallen leaves into energy harvesters from ubiquitous moisture, based on surface treatments and asymmetric coating of hygroscopic iron hydrogels. Upon moisture absorption, a water gradient is established between areas with/without hydrogel coating, and maintained due to gel-like behaviors and leaf veins for water retention and diffusion restriction, thus forming electrical double layers over the leaf surface and showing capacitance-like behavior for energy charging and discharging. Besides, the specific leaf cell structures with small grooves enabled uniform carbon coatings instead of aggregations, and high electrical conductivity, resulting in 49 μA/cm2 and 497 μW/cm3 electrical output, achieving competitive performance with the state-of-art and potential for lower environmental impact compared to other types of energy harvesters. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cf15d7ebc69a449897cdd8ded6bdf10e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-cf15d7ebc69a449897cdd8ded6bdf10e2025-08-20T02:05:38ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-06-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-60341-zLeaf-based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generationShuai Guo0Yaoxin Zhang1Zhen Yu2Ming Dai3Xuanchen Liu4Hongbo Wang5Siqi Liu6J. Justin Koh7Wanxin Sun8Yuanping Feng9Yuanzheng Chen10Lin Yang11Peng Sun12Geyu Lu13Cunjiang Yu14Wenshuai Chen15Stefaan De Wolf16Zuankai Wang17Swee Ching Tan18Department of Materials Science and EngineeringChina-UK Low Carbon College, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and EngineeringKey Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry UniversityKey Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry UniversityDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and EngineeringInstitute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Division of Nano Surfaces, Bruker CorporationDepartment of Physics, National University of SingaporeSchool of Physical Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Southwest Jiaotong UniversityKey Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and System of Ministry of Education, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Chongqing UniversityState Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin UniversityState Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin UniversityDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignKey Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry UniversityPhysical and Engineering Division (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and EngineeringAbstract In the era of big data, developing next-generation self-powered continuous energy harvesting systems is of great importance. Taking advantage of fallen leaves’ specific structural advantage gifted by nature, we propose a facile approach to convert fallen leaves into energy harvesters from ubiquitous moisture, based on surface treatments and asymmetric coating of hygroscopic iron hydrogels. Upon moisture absorption, a water gradient is established between areas with/without hydrogel coating, and maintained due to gel-like behaviors and leaf veins for water retention and diffusion restriction, thus forming electrical double layers over the leaf surface and showing capacitance-like behavior for energy charging and discharging. Besides, the specific leaf cell structures with small grooves enabled uniform carbon coatings instead of aggregations, and high electrical conductivity, resulting in 49 μA/cm2 and 497 μW/cm3 electrical output, achieving competitive performance with the state-of-art and potential for lower environmental impact compared to other types of energy harvesters.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60341-z |
| spellingShingle | Shuai Guo Yaoxin Zhang Zhen Yu Ming Dai Xuanchen Liu Hongbo Wang Siqi Liu J. Justin Koh Wanxin Sun Yuanping Feng Yuanzheng Chen Lin Yang Peng Sun Geyu Lu Cunjiang Yu Wenshuai Chen Stefaan De Wolf Zuankai Wang Swee Ching Tan Leaf-based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generation Nature Communications |
| title | Leaf-based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generation |
| title_full | Leaf-based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generation |
| title_fullStr | Leaf-based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leaf-based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generation |
| title_short | Leaf-based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generation |
| title_sort | leaf based energy harvesting and storage utilizing hygroscopic iron hydrogel for continuous power generation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60341-z |
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