Journal Article

Highly stretchable double‐network gel electrolytes integrated with textile electrodes for wearable thermo‐electrochemical cells

Zhou, Yuetong, Wallace, Gordon, Liu, Yuqing, Ma, Rujun, Zhang, Ding, Chen, Jun, Zhang, Shuai

2024

Overview

Thermo‐electrochemical cells (TECs) provide a new potential for self‐powered devices by converting heat energy into electricity. However, challenges still remain in the fabrication of flexible and tough gel electrolytes and their compatibility with redox actives; otherwise, contact problems exist between electrolytes and electrodes during stretching or twisting. Here, a novel robust and neutral hydrogel with outstanding stretchability was developed via double‐network of crosslinked carboxymethyl chitosan and polyacrylamide, which accommodated both n‐type (Fe2+/Fe3+) and p‐type ([Fe(CN)6]3−/[Fe(CN)6]4−) redox couples and maintained stretchability (>300%) and recoverability (95% compression). Moreover, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) textile electrodes with porous structure are integrated into gel electrolytes that avoid contact issues and effectively boost the Pmax of n‐ and p‐type thermocell by 76% and 26%, respectively. The optimized thermocell exhibits a quick current density response and is continually fully operational under deformations, which satisfies the working conditions of wearable devices. Multiple thermocells (four pairs) are effectively connected in alternating single n‐ and p‐type cells in series and outputted nearly 74.3 mV at ΔT = 10°C. The wearable device is manufactured into a soft‐pack thermocells to successfully harvest human body heat and illuminate an LED, demonstrating the potential of the actual application of the thermocell devices. This work designs the stretchable gel electrolytes via the double crosslinking. Moreover, the porous textile electrodes are encapsulated by gel electrolytes to avoid issue of contact and boost the Pmax of thermocell because of the larger active electrochemical surface. Finally, a wearable soft‐packing thermocell array can power an LED by harvesting human body heat, demonstrating the potential for actual application.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,Wiley
• Subject: Aldehydes / Carbon / Chitosan / Deformation / Deformation wear / Electric contacts / Electrochemical cells / Electrochemistry / Electrodes / Electrolytes / Electrolytic cells / Fabrication / Ferricyanide / Ferrocyanide / Free radicals / Heat / human body heat / Hydrogels / Hydrogen bonds / Iron cyanides / Mechanical properties / Polyacrylamide / Polymerization / Polymers / Polystyrene resins / porous textile electrodes / Recoverability / Redox properties / Stretchability / stretchable double‐network hydrogel electrolytes / Styrene / Textile fibers / thermo‐electrochemical cells / Wearable computers / wearable devices / Wearable technology / Working conditions