A hybrid energy cell for self-powered water splitting†

We fabricated a hybrid energy cell that consists of a triboelectric nanogenerator, a thermoelectric cell, and a solar cell, which can be used to simultaneously or individually harvest the mechanical, thermal, and solar energies. Instead of using an external power source, the hybrid energy cell can be directly used for self-powered water splitting to generate hydrogen. The volume of the produced H2 has a linear relationship with the splitting time at a production speed of 4 10 4 mL s . Moreover, the produced energies can be stored in a Li-ion battery for water splitting and other uses. Production of hydrogen (H2) by splitting water using the electrolysis effect is a potential source of clean and renewable energy. However, it usually requires an external power source to drive the oxidation or reduction reactions of H2O molecules, which largely limits the development of this technology. Here, we fabricated a hybrid energy cell that is an integration of a triboelectric nanogenerator, a thermoelectric cell, and a solar cell, which can be used to simultaneously/ individually harvest mechanical, thermal, and/or solar energies. The power output of the hybrid energy cell can be directly used for splitting water without an external power source. The volume of the produced H2 has a linear relationship with the splitting time at a production speed of 4 10 4 mL s . Moreover, the produced energies can also be stored in a Li-ion battery for water splitting as well as other uses.