Induced Potential in Porous Carbon Films through Water Vapor Absorption. (9th May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Kang; Yang, Peihua; Li, Song; Li, Jia; Ding, Tianpeng; Xue, Guobin; Chen, Qian; Feng, Guang; Zhou, Jun
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie. Volume 128:Number 28(2016)
• Page Start: 8135
• Page End: 8139
• Publication Date: 2016-05-09
• Subjects: Adsorption -- Feuchtigkeit -- Poröser Kohlenstoff -- Protonentransfer; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.201602708
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-8249

Abstract

Abstract: Sustainable electrical potential of tens of millivolts can be induced by water vapor adsorption on a piece of porous carbon film that has two sides with different functional group contents. Integrated experiments, and Monte Carlo and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the induced potential originates from the nonhomogeneous distribution of functional groups along the film, especially carboxy groups. Sufficient adsorbed water molecules in porous carbon facilitate the release of protons from the carboxy groups, resulting in a potential drop across the carbon film because of the concentration difference of the released free protons on the two sides. The potential utilization of such a phenomenon is also demonstrated by a self‐powered humidity sensor.