Rational design of oriented glass fibers within nano-porous SiO2 films to improve evaporation-induced hydroelectric generation

•Glass fiber-reinforced nano-porous SiO2 films were fabricated by a simple coating method for evaporation-induced hydroelectric generation.•The rational design of ordered glass fibers in the film provides a performance improvement scheme. In a GSEPG, the induced VOC reaches 1.4 V, and the ISC reaches 400 nA.•The mechanism reveals that the generated voltage driven by evaporation is related to the humidity difference and water flow. Harvesting energy from the ubiquitous water evaporation process on earth has recently proved to be an effective solution for obtaining renewable energy. However, the electricity generated in this process is still difficult to meet practical use, and the energy conversion mechanism is controversial. Here, an enhanced output was generated by the rational design of oriented glass fibers within nano-porous SiO2 film. The ordered glass fibers could effectively improve the power generation performance by promoting the movement of water flow and carriers, achieving an induced open-circuit voltage of 1.4 V and an induced short-circuit current of 400 nA, and providing a performance improvement strategy for such evaporation-induced generators. And it is revealed that the generated voltage driven by evaporation is related to the humidity difference and water flow. The availability of raw materials and the simplicity of the fabrication process also enable the generators easy to scale up. [Display omitted]