Ion-doped water-induced electricity generator with enhanced electrical output in water-segregated connection mode

Water-induced electricity generators (WIEGs) utilize water to generate electricity owing to the electrokinetic interactions between water molecules and nanomaterials. Improving charge carrier density and maintaining a stable concentration gradient are keys to enhancing the performance of the WIEGs. Herein, asymmetric polypyrrole (PPy) coated fabrics are prepared via chemical vapor deposition polymerization followed by partial deposition of a silicone resin to create hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions. A water-segregated connection (WSC) mode is developed for the WIEG (WCS-WIEG) with a pair of Fe electrodes, which demonstrates 36% and 34% improvement in voltage and current compared to the closed circuit connection mode due to the ion accumulation on the electrical double layer (EDL). When doped with FeCl3, the voltage, peak current density, and power density of the WCS-WIEG are further enhanced to 0.90 V, 1625 μA cm−3, and 360 μW cm−3, respectively. The high performances of the WCS-WIEG are attributed to the synergetic effect of the WSC mode, ion doping, and redox reaction on electrodes. Moreover, the FeCl3 doped WCS-WIEG possesses excellent stability in long-term operation and demonstrates the ability to charge capacitors and drive a calculator or LED directly. This work provides new insights into the design and ion doping approach for developing WIEGs. [Display omitted] •A water-segregated connection (WSC) mode is developed for water-induced electricity generation.•The WSC mode demonstrates significant performance improvement compared to the closed circuit connection mode.•When doped with FeCl3, the binding energy calculated by DFT and power density are further enhanced.