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  • Transpiration-mimicking woo...
    Wang, Wei; Shen, Liu-Liu; Wu, Peiran; Yu, Hui; Wang, Jiansong; Xu, Yipu; Dong, Xiangzun; Cui, Xuanxuan; Zhang, Gui-Rong; Mei, Donghai

    Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996), 01/2024, Letnik: 480
    Journal Article

    Display omitted •Wood-based Al-air batteries designed for miniaturized power sources.•Photothermal evaporation drives electrolyte flow through porous electrodes.•Integration of 3D wood-based microfluidics with solar energy utilization.•Impressive peak power density of 230 mW cm−3.•Stable discharge for over 11 h, ideal for long-lasting power supply. Capillary microfluidics on porous substrates emerges as an innovative platform for constructing miniaturized electronics. However, maintaining a steady flow within microfluidics remains challenging, thus limiting their practical applications. Inspired by plant transpiration, this work presents a novel wood-based microfluidic Al-air battery (μAAB) configuration driven by a photothermal evaporator (biomimetic “leaf”). Except for the Al anode, the μAAB features an all-wood design, utilizing the well-aligned microchannels of the natural wood for electrolyte transportation, partially charred wood as photothermal evaporator for flow regulating, and wood-derived self-standing carbon cathode for the oxygen reduction reaction. These components are assembled through mortise-and-tenon joints, and the resulting μAAB exhibits a remarkable peak power density of 230 mW cm−3. The superior performance stems from the boosted mass transfer, maximized electrochemical interface and minimized depletion boundary layer provided by the 3D channeled structure of the wood-derived cathode. A steady discharge for over 11 h (200 mA cm−3) is obtained via the continuous electrolyte flow which is facilitated by the photothermal evaporator in the μAAB. This work not only presents a novel concept for miniaturized microfluidic power sources but also highlights the potential of 3D wood-based microfluidics combined with solar energy utilization.