Vapor bubble induced electric current generation

Contact electrification (CE) has been utilized in various energy conversion systems in recent years. This work presents a constant electric energy output that was generated based on the CE at the water-metal interface. When a grounded Pt mesh is placed in water that is heated to boil, a continuous flow of electrons between the Pt mesh and the ground is generated. A possible mechanism for the generation of such electric current is based on the CE between the surface of the Pt mesh and water molecules. The local high-pressure thin liquid film regions between vapor bubbles and surface of Pt mesh promote this CE process. The constant water evaporation and bubble detachment enable the continuous electric current output. In this work, the impact of the heating temperature and the bias voltages on the generation of the current was also studied. This work provides an alternative approach to generate unidirectional current on the basis of CE at the water-metal interface, and it also offers new insights in the design of CE-based systems for the generation of electricity.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a constant electric energy output generated based on CE at the water-metal interface. By placing a grounded Pt mesh in boiling water, continuous flow of electrons is generated, possibly due to CE between Pt mesh surface and water molecules. The impact of heating temperature and bias voltages on current generation was also investigated in this work, providing new insights into designing CE-based systems for electricity generation.