A wearable solar-thermal-pyroelectric harvester: Achieving high power output using modified rGO-PEI and polarized PVDF

作者：Haitao Li, Charlynn Sher Lin Koh, Yih Hong Lee, Yihe Zhang, Gia Chuong Phan‐Quang, Chao Zhu, Zheng Liu, Zhensheng Chen, Howard Yi Fan Sim, C. L. Lay, Qi An, X. Ling · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.104723 · 被引用次数：59 · 研究领域：Materials Science

Abstract Harvesting solar energy via pyroelectric technology is highly desired because it is a sustainable and clean solution to yield electricity. However, the low power output (below 5mW/m2) and bulky device design of traditional devices hinder their practical applicability. Herein, we demonstrate a highly efficient sunlight-triggered pyroelectric nanogenerator (S-PENG) design that achieves unprecedented performance of 21.3 mW/m2 under one sun irradiation. This is achieved via enhancing both the solar harvesting properties and the pyroelectric efficiencies rationally by employing polyethyleneimine (PEI) chemically modified reduced graphene oxide (rGO-PEI), and a pyroelectric layer based on a polarized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film respectively. Moreover, we demonstrate its practical application by adapting the S-PENG into a wearable outdoor bracelet. Using a facile hand-waving motion to replace the traditional bulky sunlight-alternating device, our compact bracelet can charge a fitness tracker after only 1 h of outdoor exposure, demonstrating its capability to be seamlessly integrated with outdoor sports activities. We expect our rational design to promote the development of S-PENG and pave the way for the utilization of sunlight as a viable on-the-go electrical source.