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Research Article

Insights into the role of oxygen-containing functional groups on carbon surface in water–electricity generation

Wan Xue1, Zongbin Zhao1 ( ), Honghui Bi1, Bolun Zhang1, Xuzhen Wang2, Jieshan Qiu3( )
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Liaoning Key Laboratory for Energy Materials and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Liaoning Key Laboratory for Energy Materials and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
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Graphical Abstract

Inspired by ant nests, porous composite films are fabricated by compositing MXene, graphene, and methylcellulose, which exhibit excellent electrochemical performance. High-performance supercapacitors and multi-responsive actuators based on the composite films are constructed for integrated devices, realizing the intelligence and miniaturization of soft robots.

Abstract

A deep understanding of the electricity generation mechanism from the interaction between water molecules and carbon material surfaces is attractive for next-generation water-based energy conversion and storage systems. Herein, an asymmetric generator was assembled based on functionalized carbon nanotubes films to investigate the relative contribution from various oxygen functional groups on carbon surface to the water-electrical performance. Experiments and calculations demonstrate that the electricity mainly originates from the water molecule adsorption by carboxyl groups and dissociation of functional groups on carbon surface, which leads to the formation of electrical double layers at interfaces. This device allows the electricity generation with a variety of water sources, such as deionized water, tap water, as well as seawater. In particular, the generator based on carboxyl carbon nanotubes can induce a voltage of over 200 mV spontaneously in natural seawater with the power density of about 0.11 mW·g−1. High voltages can be achieved easily through the series-connection strategy to power electronic products such as a liquid crystal display. This work reveals the dominant role of carboxyl groups in carbon-based water–electricity conversion and is expected to offer inspiration for the preparation of carbon materials with high electrical performance.

Keywords

electricity generationwater adsorptiondissociationcarboxyl groupscarbon nanotubes

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Nano Research
Volume 17 Issue 7,
July 2024
Pages 6645-6653
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-024-6578-5
Cite this article:
Xue W, Zhao Z, Bi H, et al. Insights into the role of oxygen-containing functional groups on carbon surface in water–electricity generation. Nano Research, 2024, 17(7): 6645-6653. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-024-6578-5
Topics:
Carbon nanotubes

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Received: 28 December 2023
Revised: 06 February 2024
Accepted: 19 February 2024
Published: 30 April 2024
© Tsinghua University Press 2024
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