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Energy Harvesting from Drops Impacting onto Charged Surfaces

Hao Wu1,2,*, Niels Mendel1, Dirk van den Ende1, Guofu Zhou2,†, and Frieder Mugele1,‡

  • 1Physics of Complex Fluids, Faculty of Science and Technology, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Enschede 7500AE, The Netherlands
  • 2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, People’s Republic of China

  • *Corresponding author. haowu@m.scnu.edu.cn
  • †Corresponding author. guofu.zhou@m.scnu.edu.cn
  • ‡Corresponding author. f.mugele@utwente.nl
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 078301 – Published 12 August, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.078301

Abstract

We use a combination of high-speed video imaging and electrical measurements to study the direct conversion of the impact energy of water drops falling onto an electrically precharged solid surface into electrical energy. Systematic experiments at variable impact conditions (initial height; impact location relative to electrodes) and electrical parameters (surface charge density; external circuit resistance; fluid conductivity) allow us to describe the electrical response quantitatively without any fit parameters based on the evolution of the drop-substrate interfacial area. We derive a scaling law for the energy harvested by such “nanogenerators” and find that optimum efficiency is achieved by matching the timescales of the external electrical energy harvesting circuit and the hydrodynamic spreading process.

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Harvesting Energy from Falling Droplets

Published 12 August, 2020

A clever coupling of triboelectric charging and the hydrophobic effect leads to a remarkably efficient electrical nanogenerator.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 078301– Published 12 August, 2020
  • Received 6 March 2020
  • Revised 15 May 2020
  • Accepted 25 June 2020
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