Device for generating power by utilizing humid environment

Abstract

The invention provides a device for generating electricity by utilizing a humid environment, which comprises a base material layer, a water guide layer and a water absorption layer which are stacked in sequence, the base material layer is made of a porous conductive material, and the water guide layer is made of an insulating material through which water molecules can pass; the water absorption layer comprises an organic mixed reagent, oxidized activated carbon and graphite oxide which are mixed together. The water absorption layer in the device adopts the mixture of the organic mixed reagent, the oxidized activated carbon and the graphite oxide, and the graphite oxide has conductivity, so that the water absorption layer and the base material layer can respectively serve as two electrodes of the device, and the oxidized activated carbon can increase the water absorption area of the water absorption layer; oxidation groups are added on the surfaces of the oxidized activated carbon and the graphite oxide, so that the hydrophilicity can be enhanced, and compared with a single organic material or inorganic material, the adopted organic mixed reagent can effectively improve the water absorption performance of the water absorption layer, and correspondingly, the power generation performance of the device can be effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of humidity power generation. Background Art

[0002] Humidity power generation is a technology that uses moisture in a humid environment to generate electricity. Its basic principle is to generate electric current by causing the accumulation and flow of electric charges through changes in humidity. Humidity power generation devices usually adopt a three-layer structure, with two outer layers made of conductive materials as two electrodes, one of which absorbs water molecules in the air, and the other layer allows water molecules to evaporate. The middle layer allows water molecules to diffuse between the two outer layers and acts as an insulator to separate the two outer layers. When water molecules pass through the middle layer, positive and negative ions will be separated, resulting in an ion solubility difference between the two outer layers, thereby forming a certain potential difference, which can provide a continuous voltage to the outside. The outer layer used for absorbing water in existing humidity power generation devices often uses a single organic water-absorbing material or inorganic material, which has poor water absorption performance, resulting in low power generation efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art and to provide a device for generating electricity in a humid environment which can improve the power generation performance.

[0004] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution provided by the present invention is:

[0005] A device for generating electricity using a humid environment comprises a substrate layer, a water-conducting layer and a water-absorbing layer stacked in sequence, wherein the substrate layer is a porous conductive material, the water-conducting layer is an insulating material through which water molecules can pass; the water-absorbing layer comprises a mixed organic reagent, oxidized activated carbon and oxidized graphite.

[0006] Preferably, the water absorbing layer is formed by coating an organic mixed reagent, oxidized activated carbon and oxidized graphite on the water conducting layer after mixing with water and then drying in a high humidity and static electricity environment.

[0007] Preferably, the high humidity environment when the water-absorbing layer is dried is an environment with a humidity greater than or equal to 80%.

[0008] Preferably, the static electricity in the electrostatic environment when the water-absorbing layer is dried is generated by a negative ion generator.

[0009] Preferably, the organic mixed reagent is two of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, beta-cyclodextrin and polyvinyl alcohol.

[0010] Preferably, the substrate layer is one of carbon paper, carbon felt, carbon fiber, carbon fiber cloth, stainless steel mesh, copper mesh, and inert metal mesh.

[0011] Preferably, the water-conducting layer is a clay layer formed on the substrate layer by high-temperature sintering.

[0012] Preferably, the high-temperature sintering process of the clay layer is carried out in an inert protective gas.

[0013] Preferably, the oxidized activated carbon and the oxidized graphite are prepared by chemical oxidation treatment, wherein the chemical oxidation treatment is to add the activated carbon and graphite to concentrated nitric acid for oxidation for a period of 2 to 24 hours.

[0014] Preferably, the mass ratio of the oxidized activated carbon to the oxidized graphite in the water absorbing layer is in the range of 1:0.1 to 1:10.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: when the device is in use, the water absorbing layer can absorb water from the external humid environment, and the water molecules flow to the substrate layer through the water-conducting layer and evaporate from the substrate layer, thereby forming an ion solubility difference and outputting current to the outside. Since the water absorbing layer in the device adopts a mixture of organic mixed reagents, oxidized activated carbon and oxidized graphite, wherein the oxidized graphite has conductive properties, the water absorbing layer and the substrate layer can be used as two electrodes of the device respectively, and the oxidized activated carbon can increase the water absorption area of ​​the water absorbing layer, and the oxidized activated carbon and the oxidized graphite can enhance the hydrophilicity due to the increase of oxidized groups on the surface, and the organic mixed reagent used can effectively improve the water absorption performance of the water absorbing layer compared with a single organic material or an inorganic material, and correspondingly can effectively improve the power generation performance of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 It is an experimental data diagram of the test example in the present invention.

[0019] Among them, the reference numerals in the figure are:

[0020] 10. Base material layer; 20. Water conducting layer; 30. Water absorbing layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] This section will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the accompanying drawings is to supplement the description of the text part of the specification with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of the present invention, but it cannot be understood as a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] Reference Figure 1The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a device for generating electricity using a humid environment, comprising a substrate layer 10, a water-conducting layer 20 and a water-absorbing layer 30 stacked in sequence, wherein the substrate layer 10 is a porous conductive material, the water-conducting layer 20 is an insulating material through which water molecules can pass; the water-absorbing layer 30 comprises a mixed organic reagent, oxidized activated carbon and oxidized graphite. When the device is in use, the water absorbing layer 30 can absorb water from the external humid environment, and the water molecules flow to the substrate layer 10 through the water-conducting layer 20 and evaporate from the substrate layer 10, thereby forming an ion solubility difference and outputting current to the outside. Since the water absorbing layer 30 in the device adopts a mixture of organic mixed reagents, oxidized activated carbon and oxidized graphite, wherein the oxidized graphite has conductive properties, the water absorbing layer 30 and the substrate layer 10 can be used as the two electrodes of the device respectively, and the oxidized activated carbon can increase the water absorption area of ​​the water absorbing layer 30, and the oxidized activated carbon and the oxidized graphite can enhance the hydrophilicity due to the increase of oxidized groups on the surface, and the organic mixed reagent used can effectively improve the water absorption performance of the water absorbing layer 30 compared with a single organic material or an inorganic material, and correspondingly can effectively improve the power generation performance of the device.

[0023] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it may also have the following additional technical features:

[0024] In the present embodiment, the water-absorbing layer 30 is formed by coating an organic mixed reagent, oxidized activated carbon and oxidized graphite with water on the water-conducting layer 20 and drying it in a high humidity and electrostatic environment. This can prevent the water-absorbing layer 30 from drying out too quickly and causing structural collapse, and helps to ensure the water absorption performance of the water-absorbing layer 30, thereby improving the overall performance of the device.

[0025] In this embodiment, the high humidity environment when the water absorbing layer 30 is dried is an environment with a humidity greater than or equal to 80%, and the static electricity in the static environment is generated by a negative ion generator, which can effectively extend the drying time of the water absorbing layer 30 and ensure the water absorption performance of the water absorbing layer 30. In other embodiments, the environment humidity when the water absorbing layer 30 is dried can also be selected from other suitable humidity, and the static electricity in the static environment can also be generated by other commonly used static electricity generating equipment, and is not limited thereto.

[0026] In this embodiment, the organic mixed reagent is two of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, beta-cyclodextrin and polyvinyl alcohol, which can provide excellent water absorption performance and are stable and easy to obtain. In other embodiments, the organic mixed reagent can also select other suitable organic water-absorbing materials, but is not limited thereto.

[0027] In this embodiment, the substrate layer 10 is one of carbon paper, carbon felt, carbon fiber, carbon fiber cloth, stainless steel mesh, copper mesh, and inert metal mesh, which is not easily degraded and corroded, and helps to improve the stability and service life of the device, and the manufacturing process is relatively mature, and the chemical properties are stable, and it is easy to process, manufacture, and promote and apply. The inert metal mesh can be made of inert metal materials such as titanium.

[0028] In this embodiment, the water-conducting layer 20 is a clay layer formed by high-temperature sintering on the substrate layer 10. The clay structure is loose and porous inside, has a larger specific surface area, can provide water molecules with uniform and rapid diffusion, can effectively improve the evaporation efficiency, and correspondingly can effectively improve the power generation performance of the device, and its stability is far greater than that of traditional organic gels, can work stably for a long time without being easily degraded or corroded by microorganisms, can effectively extend the service life, and has a lower cost, and is easy to produce and promote on a large scale. In other embodiments, the water-conducting layer 20 can also use other suitable insulating materials that can allow water molecules to pass through, but is not limited to this.

[0029] In this embodiment, the high-temperature sintering process of the clay layer is carried out in an inert protective gas, thereby preventing oxidation of the substrate layer 10 during the sintering process.

[0030] In this embodiment, the oxidized activated carbon and the oxidized graphite are prepared by chemical oxidation treatment, and the chemical oxidation treatment is to add the activated carbon and the graphite to concentrated nitric acid for oxidation, and the oxidation time is 2h to 24h, and the process is simple and easy to manufacture. In this embodiment, the mass ratio of the oxidized activated carbon and the oxidized graphite in the water absorption layer 30 is in the range of 1:0.1 to 1:10, which can ensure that the water absorption layer 30 has both good conductivity and water absorption properties.

[0031] Reference Figure 2 , the following is a test example of the present invention:

[0032] Test Example 1: The clay was evenly coated on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dried and sintered, and Mg was added according to the mass ratio. 0.9 Ce 0.1 O x : Graphite oxide = 1:2 mixture, add appropriate amount of PTFE and appropriate amount of water to mix, stir thoroughly, evenly apply on the surface of the clay layer, dry naturally (relative humidity of the environment is less than 50%) to form an inorganic coating, and test with the coating as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh as the negative electrode. Short circuit test: connect the positive and negative electrodes to test the short circuit current, the initial current is 1.5μA, and it drops to 0.5μA after half an hour; recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection, test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode, the initial potential is 262.4mV, and the potential is 545.6mV after half an hour. This is a comparative experiment of inorganic coatings.

[0033] Test Example 2: Apply clay evenly on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dry it and sinter it, prepare hydroxypropyl methylcellulose: beta-cyclodextrin: oxidized activated carbon: oxidized graphite in a mass ratio of 1:5:10:10, mix with an appropriate amount of water, stir it thoroughly, and evenly apply it on the surface of the clay layer. Dry it naturally (relative humidity is less than 50%) to form a coating. The coating is used as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh is used as the negative electrode for testing. Short circuit test: connect the positive and negative electrodes to test the short circuit current. The initial current is 30.6μA, which drops to 1.69μA after half an hour; recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection and test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode. The initial potential is 37.3mV, and the potential is 415mV after half an hour. This is a comparative experiment of drying in a low humidity and static-free environment.

[0034] Test Example 3: Apply clay evenly on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dry it and sinter it, prepare hydroxypropyl methylcellulose: beta-cyclodextrin: oxidized activated carbon: oxidized graphite in a mass ratio of 1:1:2:2, mix with an appropriate amount of water, stir it thoroughly, and evenly apply it on the surface of the clay layer. Dry it naturally (relative humidity is less than 50%) to form a coating. The coating is used as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh is used as the negative electrode for testing. Short circuit test: connect the positive and negative electrodes to test the short circuit current. The initial current is 8.04μA, which drops to 2.44μA after half an hour; recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection and test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode. The initial potential is 158mV, and the potential is 493mV after half an hour. This is a comparative experiment of drying in a low humidity and static-free environment.

[0035] Test Example 4: Apply clay evenly on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dry it and then sinter it, prepare hydroxypropyl methylcellulose: oxidized activated carbon: oxidized graphite in a mass ratio of 1:5:4, mix with an appropriate amount of water, stir it thoroughly, and evenly apply it on the surface of the clay layer. Dry it in an environment with a relative humidity greater than 80% and static electricity to form an organic coating, and test it with the organic coating as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh as the negative electrode. Short circuit test: connect the positive and negative electrodes to test its short circuit current, the initial current is 73.5μA, and it drops to 17.7μA after half an hour; recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection and test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode, the initial potential is 97.5mV, and the potential is 208mV after half an hour. This is a comparative experiment of a single organic coating.

[0036] Test Example 5: Apply clay evenly on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dry it and then sinter it. Prepare the mixture of beta-cyclodextrin: oxidized activated carbon: oxidized graphite in a mass ratio of 1:5:4, mix it with an appropriate amount of water, stir it thoroughly, and evenly apply it on the surface of the clay layer. Dry it in an environment with a relative humidity greater than 80% and static electricity to form an organic coating. Test with the organic coating as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh as the negative electrode. Short circuit test: connect the positive and negative electrodes to test the short circuit current. The initial current is 6.26μA, which drops to 2.71μA after half an hour. Recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection and test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode. The initial potential is 92.1mV, and the potential is 393mV after half an hour. This is a comparative experiment of a single organic coating.

[0037] Test Example 6: Apply clay evenly on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dry it and then sinter it, prepare polyvinyl alcohol: oxidized activated carbon: oxidized graphite = 1:2:2 by mass ratio, mix with an appropriate amount of water, stir it thoroughly, and evenly apply it on the surface of the clay layer. Dry it in an environment with a relative humidity greater than 80% and static electricity to form an organic coating. Test with the organic coating as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh as the negative electrode. Short circuit test: connect the positive and negative electrodes to test its short circuit current, the starting current is 2.23μA, and it drops to 1.08μA after half an hour; recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection and test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode, the starting potential is 114mV, and the potential is 271mV after half an hour. This is a comparative experiment of a single organic coating.

[0038] Test Example 7: Apply clay evenly on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dry it and then sinter it, prepare hydroxypropyl methylcellulose: beta-cyclodextrin: oxidized activated carbon: oxidized graphite in a mass ratio of 1:5:10:10, mix with an appropriate amount of water, stir it thoroughly, and evenly apply it on the surface of the clay layer. Dry it in an environment with a relative humidity greater than 80% and static electricity to form an organic mixed coating. The organic mixed coating is used as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh is used as the negative electrode for testing. Short circuit test: Connect the positive and negative electrodes to test the short circuit current. The starting current is 208μA, which drops to 35.5μA after half an hour; recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection and test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode. The starting potential is 123mV, and the potential is 504mV after half an hour.

[0039] Test Example 8: Apply clay evenly on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dry it and then sinter it. Prepare hydroxypropyl methylcellulose: beta-cyclodextrin: oxidized activated carbon: oxidized graphite in a mass ratio of 1:1:2:2, mix with an appropriate amount of water, stir thoroughly, and evenly apply it on the surface of the clay layer. Dry it in an environment with a relative humidity greater than 80% and static electricity to form an organic mixed coating. Test with the organic mixed coating as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh as the negative electrode. Short circuit test: Connect the positive and negative electrodes to test the short circuit current. The starting current is 86.8μA, which drops to 29.7μA after half an hour; recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection and test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode. The starting potential is 243mV, and the potential is 559mV after half an hour.

[0040] Test Example 9: Apply clay evenly on one side of the stainless steel mesh, dry it and then sinter it. Prepare hydroxypropyl methylcellulose: polyvinyl alcohol: oxidized activated carbon: graphite oxide in a mass ratio of 1:1:2:2, mix with an appropriate amount of water, stir thoroughly, and evenly apply it on the surface of the clay layer. Dry it in an environment with a relative humidity greater than 80% and static electricity to form an organic mixed coating. Test with the organic mixed coating as the positive electrode and the stainless steel mesh as the negative electrode. Short circuit test: Connect the positive and negative electrodes to test the short circuit current. The starting current is 51.6μA, which drops to 24.6μA after half an hour; recovery test: disconnect the short circuit connection and test the open circuit potential at both ends of the electrode. The starting potential is 298mV, and the potential is 535mV after half an hour.

[0041] From the comparison of the above test examples, it can be seen that the power generation performance of the present invention is significantly stronger than that of inorganic coatings and single organic coatings because the water-absorbing layer 30 used in the present invention contains an organic mixed reagent.

[0042] Under the premise that no conflict occurs, those skilled in the art may freely combine and superimpose the above-mentioned additional technical features.

[0043] The above description is only a preferred implementation mode of the present invention. Any technical solution that achieves the purpose of the present invention by substantially the same means belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for generating electricity in a humid environment, characterized in that: The invention comprises a substrate layer (10), a water-conducting layer (20) and a water-absorbing layer (30) which are stacked in sequence, wherein the substrate layer (10) is a porous conductive material, the water-conducting layer (20) is an insulating material through which water molecules can pass; and the water-absorbing layer (30) comprises a mixed organic reagent, oxidized activated carbon and oxidized graphite.

2. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water absorbing layer (30) is formed by coating an organic mixed reagent, oxidized activated carbon and oxidized graphite with water, coating the mixture on the water conducting layer (20), and drying the mixture in a high humidity and static electricity environment.

3. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The high humidity environment when the water-absorbing layer (30) is dried is an environment with a humidity greater than or equal to 80%.

4. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The static electricity in the static electricity environment when the water-absorbing layer (30) is dried is generated by a negative ion generator.

5. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The organic mixed reagent is two of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, beta-cyclodextrin and polyvinyl alcohol.

6. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate layer (10) is one of carbon paper, carbon felt, carbon fiber, carbon fiber cloth, stainless steel mesh, copper mesh, and inert metal mesh.

7. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water-conducting layer (20) is a clay layer formed on the substrate layer (10) by high-temperature sintering.

8. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The high-temperature sintering process of the clay layer is carried out in an inert protective gas.

9. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oxidized activated carbon and the oxidized graphite are prepared by chemical oxidation treatment, wherein the chemical oxidation treatment is to add the activated carbon and graphite into concentrated nitric acid for oxidation, and the oxidation time is 2 hours to 24 hours.

10. The device for generating electricity in a humid environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mass ratio of the oxidized activated carbon to the oxidized graphite in the water absorbing layer (30) is in the range of 1:0.1 to 1:10.

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