Advancement of Reverse Electrowetting-on-Dielectric With Flexible Electrodes for Bias-Free Energy- Harvesting Applications

Energy harvesting with the utilization of the reverse electrowetting-on-dielectric (REWOD) phenomenon is a unique method of generating energy by implementing electrolyte impingement using mechanical modulation. The goal of wearable motion sensors that are self-powered has been undermined by the prior REWOD research's emphasis on planar electrodes, which are not flexible and require high-voltage bias to improve output power. In this article, REWOD-based energy harvesting is implemented using two sets of dissimilar flexible electrodes. The electron-beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) technique is utilized to coat materials on polyimide sheet. In the first planar REWOD experiment, mechanical energy was harvested through electrolyte impingement via 2-mm electrode displacement between the top and bottom electrodes. In a second REWOD experiment, the electrodes underwent a flexing test with electrolyte encapsulated between the electrodes. The planar experiment resulted in the maximum power density value of 0.002 mu W/cm(2), and the proposed flexing REWOD test measurement with electrolyte encapsulated between both electrodes resulted in 0.05 mu W/cm(2) of power density, which is approximate to 25 times higher than the value generated using the conventional REWOD setup.

Automated summary

This article implements REWOD-based energy harvesting by utilizing two sets of dissimilar flexible electrodes and utilizing the electron-beam physical vapor deposition technique to coat materials on a polyimide sheet. The results show that electrolyte impingement through a planar REWOD experiment resulted in a maximum power density of 0.002 mu W/cm(2), while a flexing REWOD experiment with electrolyte encapsulation resulted in a power density of 0.05 mu W/cm(2), approximately 25 times higher than the conventional setup.