Droplet energy harvesting panel

Abstract

Breakthroughs in high-efficiency droplet energy harvesters have been achieved by taking advantage of the transistor-inspired bulk effect; however, strategies toward large-scale application under multi-position droplet impacts are lacking. In this work, we developed a fully transparent and high-performance droplet energy harvesting (DEH) panel that allows for high-efficiency droplet energy harvesting under multi-position droplet impacts from both fixed and random positions. The proposed DEH panel possesses the superiorities of (1) high performance, originating from the bulk effect of the new coplanar-electrode transistor-inspired structure; (2) ease of integration, requiring only one patterning process to form the coplanar electrodes and one full-wave rectifier in external rectification; and (3) full transparency, endowing it with great potential for integration with solar panels and smart windows. We also developed a wireless forest monitoring system fully powered by the proposed DEH panel, showing its great potential in self-powered environmental monitoring. The DEH panel is also low-cost and facile for massive fabrication, representing a new pathway for high-efficiency droplet energy harvesting.