Issue

Vol. 12 (2020)

Hybridized Mechanical and Solar Energy-Driven Self-Powered Hydrogen Production

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-020-00422-4
Xuelian Wei
Jiangsu Province Engineering Laboratory of High Efficient Energy Storage Technology and Equipments, School of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, People’s Republic of China
Zhen Wen
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon‑Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China
Yina Liu
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China
Ningning Zhai
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon‑Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China
Aimin Wei
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon‑Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China
Kun Feng
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon‑Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China
Guotao Yuan
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon‑Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China
Jun Zhong
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon‑Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China
Yinghuai Qiang
Jiangsu Province Engineering Laboratory of High Efficient Energy Storage Technology and Equipments, School of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, People’s Republic of China
Xuhui Sun
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon‑Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Xuhui Sun

xhsun@suda.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 12 (2020), Article Number: 88

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation is a promising approach to address the environmental pollution and energy crisis. In this work, we present a hybridized mechanical and solar energy-driven self-powered hydrogen production system. A rotatory disc-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator was employed to harvest mechanical energy from water and functions as a sufficient external power source. WO3/BiVO4 heterojunction photoanode was synthesized in a PEC water-splitting cell to produce H2. After transformation and rectification, the peak current reaches 0.1 mA at the rotation speed of 60 rpm. In this case, the H2 evolution process only occurs with sunlight irradiation. When the rotation speed is over 130 rpm, the peak photocurrent and peak dark current have nearly equal value. Direct electrolysis of water is almost simultaneous with photoelectrocatalysis of water. It is worth noting that the hydrogen production rate increases to 5.45 and 7.27 μL min−1 without or with light illumination at 160 rpm. The corresponding energy conversion efficiency is calculated to be 2.43% and 2.59%, respectively. All the results demonstrate such a self-powered system can successfully achieve the PEC hydrogen generation, exhibiting promising possibility of energy conversion.


Highlights:


1 A hybridized mechanical and solar energy-driven hydrogen production system was developed.
2 A rotatory disc-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator (RD-TENG) enables to harvest mechanical energy from water flow and functions as a sufficient external power source.
3 WO3/BiVO4 heterojunction is fabricated as photoanodes in the self-powered photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell, and the hydrogen production rate reaches to 7.27 μL min−1 under sunlight illumination with the energy conversion efficiency of 2.59%.

Keywords

WO3/BiVO4 heterojunction Photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation Triboelectric nanogenerator Mechanical energy Solar energy
Wei, Xuelian, Zhen Wen, Yina Liu, Ningning Zhai, Aimin Wei, Kun Feng, Guotao Yuan, Jun Zhong, Yinghuai Qiang, and Xuhui Sun. 2020. “Hybridized Mechanical and Solar Energy-Driven Self-Powered Hydrogen Production”. Nano-Micro Letters 12 (April):88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-020-00422-4.
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