Large-Scale Nanofiber Manufacturing| Multidimensional Nanochannel Regulation for HighPerformance Flexible Hydrovoltaic Sensing Devices

Researchers from Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech, CAS: High-Performance Flexible Hydrovoltaic Ion Sensor via Multidimensional Nanochannel Modulation"

Challenge: Evaporation-induced hydrovoltaic effects represent a promising approach for green energy harvesting and self-powered ion sensing. However, the complexity of solid-liquid interface design and insufficient systematic research on interfacial parameters' impact hinder the development of high-performance hydrovoltaic devices.

Method: Researchers Ting Zhang and Lianhui Li from Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech innovatively proposed a multidimensional nanochannel modulation strategy to construct high-performance flexible hydrovoltaic ion sensors.

Innovation 1: A silk fibroin (SF) functional coating was constructed on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENFs), enhancing structural stability. By adjusting spinning solution concentration and coating layers, nanochannel size was tuned from 3124.26 nm to 316.24 nm.

Innovation 2: Based on the mechanism, a flexible hydrovoltaic sensor with photothermal conversion capability was fabricated, achieving an open-circuit voltage >3.5 V and monovalent ion sensing range of 10⁻⁷–10⁻¹ M. The device was successfully applied for self-powered electrolyte monitoring.