Generalized Dynamic Junction Theory to Resolve the Mechanism of Direct Current Generation in Liquid-Solid Interfaces
Abstract
Despite the unsettled mechanism of electricity generation from the continuous flow of liquids on a surface, the charge-discharge theory has been widely accepted for alternating current (AC) generation from a moving droplet. It has been recently extended to rationalize direct current (DC) generation across a droplet moving between two different materials. By designing a reconfigurable contact between a metal wire and a water droplet moving on graphene, we show that the charge-discharge theory cannot explain the reversal of current when water-metal interfaces switch from dynamic to static. All experiments can be described after we distinguish a dynamic from a static interface and generalize the photovoltaic-like effect to all dynamic junctions: excited electrons and holes in a moving interface will be separated and swept under the built-in electrical field, leading to a DC response. This generalized theory will lead to an understanding and the design of efficient electricity generation based on interfacial charge transfer.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2203.13359,
title = {Generalized Dynamic Junction Theory to Resolve the Mechanism of Direct Current Generation in Liquid-Solid Interfaces},
author = {Cristal Solares-Bockmon and Aniqa Ibnat Lim and Mohammadjavad Mohebinia and Xinxin Xing and Tian Tong and Xingpeng Li and Steven Baldelli and T. R. Lee and Wei Wang and Zhaoping Liu and Jiming Bao},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2203.13359},
year = {2022}
}