Sustainable moisture-driven electricity generation using waste materials
摘要
Atmospheric moisture is an abundant, renewable resource with potential for sustainable energy harvesting. While moisture-material interactions can generate electricity under ambient conditions, most current systems remain expensive, and produce voltages too low for direct use in wearable electronics. To address these limitations, we developed a moisture-driven electric generator (MEG) from waste biomass and recycled materials that convert ambient humidity into electrical output. The MEG integrates wild sugarcane fibers and recycled cigarette-butt cellulose with an upcycled carbon-paste layer, which enhances moisture uptake, ion dissociation, and directional ion migration across asymmetric current collectors. A single unit delivers up to 1.16 V and 16.44 µW cm−3, operates under ambient humidity conditions, and restores voltage after drying following renewed natural moisture reabsorption. A basic conceptual model is proposed in which moisture adsorption within the hygroscopic composite promotes NaCl ion dissociation and directional ionic transport, leading to interfacial charge separation between asymmetric electrodes and the generation of a measurable potential difference. Scalable series/parallel configurations boost voltage and current, enabling direct operation of low-power electronic devices under maintained humid conditions without external capacitors. This low-cost approach highlights moisture-activated textile composites as sustainable power sources for self-powered and low-power electronic systems.