Hydroelectric nanogenerators (HENGs) utilize the synergy between conductive nanomaterials and hydrodynamic flow to generate electricity, but their applications are limited by low output power density. Here, a high-performance HENG is developed by employing single-layer MXene (SMX) nanosheets on wool cloth. The SMX-based HENGs exhibit a maximum energy density of 0.683 mW cm−2, a current of 1.994 mA, and a voltage of 0.687 V, sufficient to power small wearable electronics. Moreover, the hydrophilicity of the HENGs is maintained due to the addition oxidized ketjen black nanoparticles to the SMX matrix. This is attributed to the functional groups (e.g., –COOH and –OH) on OKB, which are important for efficient ion transport and maintaining a high steady-state power density. Important insights into energy generation for the development of high-efficiency HENGs for practical applications have been gained from numerical simulation using COMSOL multiphysics.@en

The invention of hydroelectric nanogenerators (HENGs) is a breakthrough technology for green electricity generation. However, the underlying mechanisms driving energy conversion remain largely unknown, impeding the development of HENGs with high energy densities. Here, we develop a new Multiphysics model involving Darcy's law, phase transfer in porous media, and current modules to reveal the mechanisms of electricity generation in HENGs. This is the first model to simulate evaporation as a streaming potential variable with the Robin-type boundary condition that overcomes the shortcomings of Neumann- and Dirichlet-type boundary conditions. Including the streaming potential and electric double layer (EDL) effects, the simulation can be based on actual water flow conditions, which is more convincing and lays a microscopic foundation for future research and exploration into the mechanism of hydroelectric electricity generation. The new model reveals that the concentrations of salt solutions significantly impact the output power density of HENGs by affecting the solution conductivity in the stern layer, while relative humidity has a minimal impact. This model along with experimental validation offers a robust method to improve the electrical output of HENGs.@en

Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) followed by solar-driven desorption is emerging as a promising energy and cost-effective solution to alleviate the worldwide freshwater scarcity. To achieve efficient atmospheric water harvesting, a SAWH system with low water transfer resistance and high sorption-desorption kinetics that integrates photothermal properties is demanded. Herein, inspired by nature, a sodium alginate (SA)-based SAWH hemisphere with spatially centripetal conical channels loaded with CaCl ₂ crystals is designed. The device demonstrates unidirectional water transfer properties and high moisture absorption capacity. To enable solar-driven water desorption, the device is engineered with a photothermal layer by chelation of tannic acid (TA) with Fe ³⁺. The multifunctional SAWH device with a special channel structure presents a superb water absorption of 0.90-2.29 g g ⁻¹ within a wide range of relative humidity (RH) (40-90%) and a fast solar-driven water desorption rate of 1.77 kg m ⁻² h ⁻¹ under one sun illumination. In outdoor tests, 82.3% of the water absorbed overnight could be released during the daytime under natural sunlight, achieving an ultrahigh daily water production of 3.72 L per m ² that is superior to that of most previously reported all-in-one SAWH systems. This proposed design strategy provides an effective solution for collecting water from the air by SAWH followed by solar-driven water desorption.

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