3D-Printed Superhydrophobic and Magnetic Device That Can Self-Powered Sense A Tiny Droplet Impact

Three-dimensional (3D)-printed magnetic soft architectures have attracted extensive attention and research from the engineering and material fields. The force-driven shape deformation of such architectures causes a change in the magnetic field distribution, indicating the capability to convert mechanical energy to electricity. Herein, we fabricate a flexible superhydrophobic and magnetic device by integrating two kinds of 3D printing approaches. The 3D-printed magnetic device (3DMD) exhibits a long-term stable mechanoelectrical conversion capacity under consecutive water droplet dripping. The output current of the 3DMD is higher than that of records in the existing literature. Combined with Maxwell numerical simulation, the mechanoelectrical conversion mechanism of the 3DMD is investigated, further guiding regulation of the diverse parameters. Moreover, three 3DMDs are integrated to light up a commercial light-emitting diode (LED) by a stream of collected rainwater. Such a combined design incorporating energy conversion is believed to promisingly motive advances in the 3D printing field. (c) 2022 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study fabricates a flexible superhydrophobic and magnetic device using two kinds of 3D printing approaches, which can convert mechanical energy to electricity through force-driven shape deformation. The 3D-printed magnetic device demonstrates long-term stable mechanoelectrical conversion capacity and higher output current compared to existing literature. Combined with numerical simulation, the mechanism of mechanoelectrical conversion of the device is investigated, providing guidance for parameter regulation. Moreover, integrating multiple devices enables the use of collected rainwater to power a commercial LED, promising advancements in the field of 3D printing.