Development of multi droplet-based electricity generator system for energy harvesting improvement from a single droplet

Abstract

Due to high output performance, the droplet-based electricity generator (DEG) is garnering attention as a promising alternative power source for small electronic devices. Accordingly, to utilize the DEG as a power source, the efforts to boost the output have focused on methods to modify material modification and introduce surface structure. However, the behavior feature that the reconfigured droplet falls after the DEG operation leaves room for one more droplet energy harvesting from a single droplet. Here, a multi DEG system (MDEG) constructed with multiple DEG units is proposed to harvest more energy from a single droplet. The continuous movement of a water droplet is realized through the inclined stair structure of the MDEG, resulting in electrical energy generation from a single water droplet as many times as it falls. In particular, 2-step MDEG consisting of two DEG units can have 45% higher performance than a single DEG. Therefore, this study implies a contribution to the development of DEGs by considering the droplet dynamics, which has been overlooked in existing DEG studies.