Pseudo-photoelectric cascade conversion endowing photosensitive Janus ionogel for solar energy harvesting and sensing

Abstract

Ionic conductive gel based self-powered sensor has attracted much attention in Internet of Things era, due to its softness, versatility, electrical conductivity, iontronics and responsiveness. However, its multi-scene application is limited by few types of these perceptible signals. Herein, a photosensitive Janus ionogel with pseudo-photoelectric effect based on cascade conversion is reported, with seebeck coeffect of 19.5 mV K−1 and ZT value of 0.63. Significantly, the photosensitive Janus ionogel can generate different temperature gradients on the different intensity of sunlight, and convert solar energy into electric energy by the “light-thermal-electric” cascade conversion, demonstrating its great potential in solar energy utilization and light sensing. This investigation paves a promising and versatile way to construct photosensitive conductive materials for next-generation solar self-powered devices.