Author(s) :

Andrew Han, Eileen Pak, Kihyun Lee.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

The growing environmental impact of fossil fuel consumption highlights the need for renewable and eco-friendly energy sources. In this study, we investigated evaporation-driven electricity generation using fabrics coated with nanocarbon materials, carbon black (CB), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). When a water droplet was introduced onto one side of the coated fabric, capillary-driven ion transport through the nanocarbon coating generated a measurable voltage. CB-coated fabric produced the highest and most sustained voltage, reaching a peak of 0.308 V at 100 s and remaining measurable up to 2000 s. MWCNT-coated fabric produced a peak voltage of 0.080 V with a response duration of approximately 500 s. GNP-coated and uncoated bare fabrics showed negligible voltage responses over a 250 s measurement period. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, four CB-coated fabric pieces were connected in series, producing a combined voltage of 2.252 V that was sufficient to power a battery-free pocket calculator. These results indicate that CB-coated fabrics have potential as a simple and low-cost platform for evaporation-driven electricity generation.