Self-charging Battery Research Articles

An air-rechargeable Zn-organic battery with unprecedented fast self-charging rate

Redox polymers for aqueous Zn-ion batteries are versatile and can be exploited to make self-charging batteries due to their spontaneous oxidation by O2. Normally, the process from reduced state to oxidized state via air-oxidation is lengthy (>12 h) for redox polymers, which limits the practicability of the air-rechargeable battery. Herein, a new redox polymer that is electropolymerized using 4,4́-diaminodiphenylamine sulfate is reported. This polymer cathode after being discharged can be fully air-charged in 3 h, reaching an open circuit voltage of 1.2 V when coupled with a Zn anode. It is found that this polymer cathode has low activation energies in both ion diffusion and redox reaction, accounting for the fast air-charging rate. By combining experiment with theory, the co-insertion of Zn2+ and H+ in the polymer cathode and the dominant role of H+ are unveiled. Also, the sequential extraction of Zn2+ and H+ from this polymer in the air-charging process is elucidated by computation. In addition, thick cathodes with a high areal capacity of 7.5 mAh cm−2 are prepared and loaded into a 3D-printed case to make a battery pack with 3.6 V air-charged voltage. The self-charging function is demonstrated by driving a mini electric fan.

Self-Charging Zinc-Ion Battery Using a Piezoelectric Separator Immersed in a Hydrogel Electrolyte.

Emerging portable energy systems with integrated sustainability and improved safety have garnered growing interest in wearable electronics. Herein, a self-charging zinc-ion battery is successfully developed by integrating a PVDF-ZnO piezoelectric separator immersed in a quasi-solid-state hydrogel electrolyte (prepared using a 3 m Zn(CF3SO3)2) solution that is sandwiched between a FeVO4 cathode and a zinc anode. This battery effectively captures energy through controlled tapping, eliminating the need for external charging and enabling sustainable energy storage. This self-charging battery can be charged up to 181.23 mV under continuous tapping for 300 s. Upon the cease of tapping, there is a slight decline in the induced potential, which then stabilizes and maintains a consistent potential. Five self-charging batteries connected in series and tapped simultaneously for 300 s generate a potential of 290 mV, whereas five batteries connected in series and tapped one by one induce a potential of 345 mV. This is the first time that a piezoelectric self-charging zinc-ion battery is reported. This study unveils a transformative strategy for realizing next-generation wearable electronics with a self-charging zinc-ion battery design that prioritizes both sustainability and safety.

Anionic Chemistry Modulation Enabled Environmental Self-Charging Aqueous Zinc Batteries: The Case of Carbonate Ions.

Anionic chemistry modulation represents a promising avenue to enhance the electrochemical performance and unlock versatile applications in cutting-edge energy storage devices. Herein, we propose a methodology that involves anionic chemistry of carbonate anions to tailor the electrochemical oxidation-reduction reactions of bismuth (Bi) electrodes, where the conversion energy barrier for Bi (0) to Bi (III) has been significantly reduced, endowing anionic full batteries with enhanced electrochemical kinetics and chemical self-charging property. The elaborately designed batteries with an air-switch demonstrate rapid self-recharging capabilities, recovering over 80 % of the electrochemical full charging capacity within a remarkably short timeframe of 1 hour and achieving a cumulative self-charging capacity of 5 Ah g-1. The aqueous self-charging battery strategy induced by carbonate anion, as proposed in this study, holds the potential for extending to various anionic systems, including seawater-based Cl- ion batteries. This work offers a universal framework for advancing next-generation multi-functional power sources.

A Wearable Self-Charging Electroceutical Device for Bacteria-Infected Wound Healing.

The prolonged wound-healing process caused by pathogen infection remains a major public health challenge. The developed electrical antibiotic administration typically requires metal electrodes wired to a continuous power supply, restricting their use beyond clinical environments. To obviate the necessity for antibiotics and an external power source, we have developed a wearable synergistic electroceutical device composed of an air self-charging Zn battery. This battery integrates sustained tissue regeneration and antibacterial modalities while maintaining more than half of the initial capacity after ten cycles of chemical charging. In vitro bacterial/cell coculture with the self-charging battery demonstrates inhibited bacterial activity and enhanced cell function by simulating the endogenous electric field and dynamically engineering the microenvironment with released chemicals. This electroceutical device provides accelerated healing of a bacteria-infected wound by stimulating angiogenesis and modulating inflammation, while effectively inhibiting bacterial growth at the wound site. Considering the simple structure and easy operation for long-term treatment, this self-charging electroceutical device offers great potential for personalized wound care.

A H2O2 Self-Charging Zinc Battery with Ultrafast Power Generation and Storage.

Self-charging power systems are considered as promising alternatives for off-grid energy devices to provide sustained electricity supply. However, the conventional self-charging systems are severely restricted by the energy availability and time-consuming charging process as well as insufficient capacity. Herein, we developed an ultrafast H2O2 self-charging aqueous Zn/NaFeFe(CN)6 battery, which simultaneously integrates the H2O2 power generation and energy storage into a battery configuration. In such battery, the chemical energy conversion of H2O2 can generate electrical energy to self-charge the battery to 1.7 V through the redox reaction between H2O2 and NaFeFe(CN)6 cathode. The thermodynamically and kinetically favorable redox reaction contributes to the ultrafast H2O2 self-charging rate and the extremely short self-charging time within 60 seconds. Moreover, the rapid H2O2 power generation can promptly compensate the energy consumption of battery to provide continuous electricity supply. Impressively, this self-charging battery shows excellent scalability of device architecture and can be designed to a H2O2 single-flow battery of 7.06 Ah to extend the long-term energy supply. This work not only provides a route to design self-charging batteries with fast charging rate and high capacity, but also pushes forward the development of self-charging power systems for advanced large-scale energy storage applications.

Tuning Electron Delocalization of Redox-Active Porous Aromatic Framework for Low-Temperature Aqueous Zn-K Hybrid Batteries with Air Self-Chargeability.

Air self-charging aqueous batteries promise to integrate energy harvesting technology and battery systems, potentially overcoming a heavy reliance on energy and the spatiotemporal environment. However, the exploitation of multifunctional air self-charging battery systems using promising cathode materials and suitable charge carriers remains challenging. Herein, for the first time, we developed low-temperature self-charging aqueous Zn-K hybrid ion batteries (AZKHBs) using a fully conjugated hexaazanonaphthalene (HATN)-based porous aromatic framework as the cathode material, exhibiting redox chemistry using K+ as charge carriers, and regulating Zn-ion solvation chemistry to guide uniform Zn plating/stripping. The unique AZKHBs exhibit the exceptional electrochemical properties in all-climate conditions. Most importantly, the large potential difference causes the AZKHBs discharged cathode to be oxidized using oxygen, thereby initiating a self-charging process in the absence of an external power source. Impressively, the air self-charging AZKHBs can achieve a maximum voltage of 1.15 V, an impressive discharge capacity (466.3 mAh g-1), and exceptional self-charging performance even at -40 °C. Therefore, the development of self-charging AZKHBs offers a solution to the limitations imposed by the absence of a power grid in harsh environments or remote areas.

Bio-catalyzed oxidation self-charging zinc–polymer batteries

Oxidation self-charging batteries have emerged with the demand for powering electronic devices around the clock. The low efficiency of self-charging has been the key challenge at present. Here, a more efficient autoxidation self-charging mechanism is realized by introducing hemoglobin (Hb) as a positive electrode additive in the polyaniline (PANI)-zinc battery system. The heme acts as a catalyst that reduces the energy barrier of the autoxidation reaction by regulating the charge and spin state of O2. To realize self-charging, the adsorbed O2 molecules capture electrons of the reduced (discharged state) PANI, leading to the desorption of zinc ions and the oxidation of PANI to complete self-charging. The battery can discharge for 12 min (0.5 C) after 50 self-charging/discharge cycles, while there is nearly no discharge capacity in the absence of Hb. This biology-inspired electronic regulation strategy may inspire new ideas to boost the performance of self-charging batteries.

A self-charging salt water battery for antitumor therapy.

Implantable devices on the tumor tissue as a local treatment are able to work in situ, which minimizes systemic toxicities and adverse effects. Here, we demonstrated an implantable self-charging battery that can regulate tumor microenvironment persistently by the well-designed electrode redox reaction. The battery consists of biocompatible polyimide electrode and zinc electrode, which can consume oxygen sustainably during battery discharge/self-charge cycle, thus modulating hypoxia level in tumor microenvironment. The oxygen reduction in battery leads to the formation of reactive oxygen species, showing 100% prevention on tumor formation. Sustainable consumption of oxygen causes adequate intratumoral hypoxic conditions over the course of 14 days, which is helpful for the hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs) to kill tumor cells. The synergistic effect of the battery/HAPs can deliver more than 90% antitumor rate. Using redox reactions in electrochemical battery provides a potential approach for the tumor inhibition and regulation of tumor microenvironment.

Influence of BaTiO3 morphology on BaTiO3/P(VDF-HFP) electrolyte for self-charging sodium-ion batteries

The coming era of the Internet of Things urgently demands self-charging power systems with the ability of low-power energy harvesting and energy storage. In this work, we design BaTiO3 with different morphologies (nanoparticles, nanoplates, and nanowires) to be filled in the P(VDF-HFP) composite. The introduction of NaCl crystal as a template can increase the porosity of the polymer film. A series of flexible self-charging sodium-ion batteries have been assembled using the porous BaTiO3-P(VDF-HFP)-NaClO4 film as a piezo-electrolyte. Among those piezo-electrolytes with different morphologies BaTiO3 filler, self-charging sodium-ion batteries (Na0.71Co0.96O2||Na) with BaTiO3 nanoplates-P(VDF-HFP) - NaClO4 as electrolyte exhibit superior self-charging performance with the increased capacity of 1.132 mAh in 100 h under static pressure of 5 N. In addition, the flexible battery was subjected to bending pressure and tapping tests. There is little work investigating the morphology effects of filler on self-charging batteries. This work provides an optimization method for piezo-electrolyte of self-charging sodium-ion batteries.

Biomass-Based Functionalized Graphene for Self-Rechargeable Zinc–Air Batteries

Commercial batteries are typically charged with electrical power systems and consume electrical energy for recharging. Chemically self-charging batteries are a class of electrochemical devices that use chemical reactions to recharge batteries without electrical grids. Herein, we report the fabrication of a self-rechargeable zinc–air battery that is capable of simultaneously harnessing and storing energy based on biomass-derived functionalized graphene nanosheets (f-GNS). The chemical energy was harnessed into electric power by the spontaneous and reversible redox reactions between the f-GNS and atmospheric oxygen. This enables the fabrication of an energy storage device capable of self-charging without using any catalyst or organic dye. For the realization of integrated energy harvesting, conversion, and storage by a facile and sustainable approach, the f-GNS synthesized by the hydrothermal carbonization of pears followed by mild acid oxidation was used as the active material in an alkaline solution. The self-rechargeable zinc–air battery delivered an initial open circuit voltage of ∼1.15 V and a maximum instantaneous peak power density of ∼250 mW cm–2. The zinc–air batteries can charge themselves at rest in 15 min and exhibit high reversibility and excellent durability over prolonged charge and discharge cycles. When connected in series and parallel, the zinc–air batteries can offer the desired voltage and current, respectively, for practical applications. This work opens an avenue for further advancement in the design of self-sustainable, next-generation aqueous zinc–air batteries for practical applications.

Flexible self-charging lithium battery for storing low-frequency mechanical energy

Flexible self-charging power source, with admirable capability to harvest/store the energy generated by human motion, is considered as the most suitable power supply for next generation of wearable electronic devices. Herein, we demonstrated a flexible self-charging lithium battery for storing low-frequency tiny motion energy. The electrospinning polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoro ethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) porous membranes was adopted as a piezoelectric separator and a supporting layer of the electrode to fabricate a novel flexible self-charging power cell (SCPC). The flexible SCPC could be effectively charged by directly collecting movement energy through mechanical deformation. The SCPC sealed in flexible case could be charged via periodic tapping (6 N, 1 Hz), indicating a storage capacity of 0.092 μA h in 330 s. Compared with traditional self-charging batteries, the flexible SCPC can work effectively at lower frequency and pressure, and collect the tiny motion energy of human body to power wearable electronic devices. This work may provide an innovative way to develop new self-charging wearable electronic devices.

Instantaneous peak 2.1 W-level hybrid energy harvesting from human motions for self-charging battery-powered electronics

Abstract In this article, we report a wearable millimeter-size energy generator that yields instantaneous power of 2.1 W level from kinetic energy of human running motions. The generator, with a hybridization of piezoelectric and electromagnetic transductions, integrates mainly two major novel techniques: impact induced frequency up conversion effect for the piezoelectric generation and abrupt magnetic flux density change for the electromagnetic generation. The generator proves to be able to effectively harness energy from human motions, producing a power density over one order of magnitude higher than that of state-of-the-art work. This result is further validated by the charging performance, i.e. high charging rate and voltage into mF-level capacitors. Moreover, this wearable generator demonstrates the capability to charge a Li-on battery in dozens of minutes. This work can be of much significance for the development of self-charging battery powered wearable electronic devices.

Design and evaluation of a Self-charging Battery electric two wheeler

With the world shifting to EVs from conventional fossil fuel run automobiles, there should exist a mediator to effectively make this switch effortless and smooth, atleast to overcome range anxiety and the resistance to use new technology. Therefore, we propose a self- charging HEV and not a complete PHEV. Since the Indian automobile market comprises of mostly two-wheelers that make up 50% of the total sales, it is a good platform to introduce a hybrid powertrain. Key factors are that it should be cheap, easy to run and maintain, highly fuel efficient and should give good performance than its traditional ICE only counterparts. The main idea for this paper is from old diesel-electric locomotives that used a rudimentary hybrid layout to put power to the wheels via an electric motor. Our concept uses the same principle but optimised for a two-wheeler. The bike is powered by a single cylinder petrol or a single cylinder diesel engine that acts as a generator to power a battery which in turn powers a motor to drive the rear wheel. The older locomotives used traction motors to pull heavy loads, whereas our motorcycle can be set to a speed of high torque and low fuel consumption to increase its range which ultimately matters to the Indian consumer. The battery itself can be smaller to reduce the weight that is attributed to EVs. This kind of self-charging EV is especially useful in emerging EV markets like India who is planning a shift to EVs in the near future.

Polymer Solar Cells for Indoor Energy Harvesting

ABSTRACTPolymer solar cell (PSC) has great spectrum matching with the room lights and PSC has great photovoltaic performance under the low to high illuminance compared to other types of solar cells. So, we fabricate the PSC module for the indoor use and investigate the electrical characteristics under the various light sources. The PSC photovoltaic performance is 43.5µW/cm2 under the fluorescent light 1000lux (0.1mW/cm2) and PCE=6.0% under the sunlight (1SUN-100mW/cm2).This PSC module has practical durability and stability against the heat and light exposure. So, PSC is used as the self-charging batteries for mobile devices and wireless sensor networks.

Hybrid device functions as self-recovering electrochromic window and self-charging battery

Hybrid device functions as self-recovering electrochromic window and self-charging battery

Photovoltaically Self-Charging Battery

For many low-power applications, solar cells are used as an environmentally friendly power supply. In order to provide electrical power also in the absence of solar radiation, we invented a device which unifies both a solar cell and a rechargeable battery in one unit. The main components are a photoactive layer on a charge-storage layer. Thus, this new device represents a flat battery, which charges itself on illumination. In principle it can be produced cheaply, e.g., by screen printing. The characteristics of charging and discharging are presented with special consideration of the variation of light intensity and ion concentration in the electrolyte. A relatively high reverse reaction at the electrode still takes place. After charging for 1 h under an illumination of 1000 W/m2, the first samples yielded 1.8 C/cm2 when discharged in the dark. © 2002 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.