Abstract
A device composed of a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever and a water electrolysis device was fabricated to realize piezoelectrochemical hydrogen production. The obvious output of the hydrogen and oxygen through application of a mechanical vibration of ∼0.07 N and ∼46.2 Hz was observed. This method provides a cost-effective, recyclable, environment-friendly and simple way to directly split water for hydrogen fuels by scavenging mechanical waste energy forms such as noise or traffic vibration in the environment.
Highlights
The environmental problems of using fossil fuels have already begun to surface
The main method for hydrogen production is direct water electrolysis, which has the disadvantage of high electricity consumption [3,4,5]
At a resonance frequency of ~46.2 Hz, the output peak voltage is up to ~12 V, which is much higher than the standard reduction-oxidation potential of water
Summary
The environmental problems of using fossil fuels have already begun to surface. The excessive use of fossil fuels is one of the primary causes of global warming and acid rain, which have affected the. As a clean energy source, presents itself as a potential alternative to fossil fuels with a high calorific value. Some novel, high efficient and environment-friendly methods for water-splitting-hydrogen production have been reported [6,7,8,9,10,11]. Hydrogen production through a vibrating piezoelectric material provides an alternative way to obtain hydrogen energy and has potential for practical application in the future. In 2011, Xu et al reported a way to directly split water for hydrogen production with a ultrahigh energy conversion efficiency of ~18% by vibrating piezoelectric micro-fibers using a high-frequency ultrasonic wave [18]. A low-frequency piezoelectric hydrogen production device should be designed to better meet the requirements of practical application. To obtain the low work frequencies, a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever structure was adopted in our design [19,20,21]
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