Jayraj Vinubhai Vaghasiya

Sustained human activity on the Moon will require energy systems that can be manufactured directly from lunar materials, avoiding the mass and cost constraints of transporting devices from the Earth. Here, we demonstrate a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) fabricated using a lunar regolith (LR) simulant as an active triboelectric component through a scalable 3D-printing strategy. LR incorporation significantly enhances charge generation in LR/PLA (poly­(lactic acid)) composite electrodes by modifying surface properties and increasing effective contact electrification. Multiple electrode architectures were evaluated to optimize performance, with the best design delivering an open-circuit voltage of ∼17.4 (±0.4) V and a short-circuit current of ∼0.96 (±0.2) μA at 10 Hz for a 20 × 30 mm device. The prototype is capable of real-scale power demonstrations, validating its practical utility. This work introduces a viable route for in situ resource utilization and 3D printing to establish LR-based triboelectric devices as a promising approach for energy autonomy in future lunar habitats.

Flexible aqueous zinc-ion batteries can store energy safely and at a low cost, which benefits wearable electronic gadgets; however, currently used cathodes restrict these devices with a low specific capacity and energy density. Herein, we developed a flexible zinc-sulfur (Zn–S) battery constructed by Ti₃C₂T_xdecorated with sulfur (S@Ti₃C₂T_x) as a cathode and Zn metal anode with iodine-added amphiphilic gel electrolyte (AGE). Benefiting from the confinement synergy of S@Ti₃C₂T_xcathode, the Zn-S battery exhibited a high storage capacity of 772.7 mAh g⁻¹at 300 mA g⁻¹, which is higher than a conventional S-decorated carbon cathode (491.7 mAh g⁻¹). More specially, the flexible device offers good cycling stability (82.7%) and excellent mechanical stability with 91% capacity retention after 90° bending (500 cycles). To demonstrate real applications, the flexible Zn–S batteries were integrated in series to power electrical gadgets (e.g., digital clock, light-emitting diode, and robot). It exhibits exceptional flexibility to sustain different deformations and maintains a steady supply of power to run the wearable electronic gadget. These findings offer a fresh starting point for flexible energy storage technologies and show the promising potential of the Zn–S battery in real-world applications.

Assistive technology involving auditory feedback is generally utilized by those who are visually impaired or have speech and language difficulties. Therefore, here we concentrate on an auditory human-machine interface that uses audio as a platform for conveying information between visually or speech-disabled users and society. We develop a piezoresistive tactile sensor based on a black phosphorous and polyaniline (BP@PANI) composite by the facile chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline on cotton fabric. Taking advantage of BP’s puckered honeycomb lattice structure and superior electrical properties as well as the vast wavy fabric surface, this BP@PANI-based tactile sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity, low-pressure sensitivity, reasonable response time, and good cycle stability. For a real-world application, a prototype device employs six BP@PANI tactile sensors that correspond to braille characters and can convert pressed text into audio on reading or typing to assist visually or speech-disabled persons. Overall, this research offers promising insight into the material candidates and strategies for the development of auditory feedback devices based on layered and 2D materials for human-machine interfaces.

Large-area uniform MoSe₂@WSe₂ HS prepared by EPD, achieves better catalytic activity, HER, and supercapacitor performance.

Mesoscopic photovoltaic devices (MPDs) are significantly promising for sustainable light-harvesting through solid-state compact designs. Materials with multifunctional properties play a vital role in improving the processability, stability, and cost of such devices. Here, a single-route synthesized sensitizer and multifunctional organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) are introduced, and OIPCs are employed as a redox couple and light-harvesting contributor as a binary sensitizer-electrolyte system enabled via energy transfer in a photovoltaic device. Materials OIPC-I, OIPC-Br, and SK4 sensitizer possess a typical N-alkyl-phenoxazine (POZ)–N-alkyl-benzimidazole (BM)-type architecture, and OIPCs hold additional iodide and bromide anions at the quaternary nitrogen of BM. OIPCs show redox potential generated from anions corresponding to I⁻/I₃ ⁻ and Br⁻/Br₃ ⁻ as well as suitable molecular energy levels due to the POZ–BM donor–acceptor pathway, which results in a self-regenerative photovoltaic response in FTO/p-TiO₂/OIPC/Pt configuration without any sensitizer. The SK4 sensitizer has suitable energy levels below the redox potential level of OIPCs, which are well regenerated by OIPCs during the photo-electricity generation in the photovoltaic device. Here, an OIPC–Br-based device with high photovoltage (0.98 (±0.02) V) and pronounced photocurrent from extra electrons gained through the POZ donor present in OIPC by the energy transfer mechanism shows 45% energy transfer towards the dye or TiO₂. The OIPC-I based device demonstrated 43% (±3) higher efficiency compared to the conventional benzimidazolium-based electrolyte due to improved photocurrent and photovoltage. Single component OIPC-I based solid-state MPD devices show excellent ∼95% stability up to 5000 h, which is more than the OIPC–Br based device.

Owing to the rise of miniaturized wearable electronic devices in the last decade, significant demands have arisen to obtain high-performance flexible supercapacitors (FSCs). Recently, a lot of research has been focused on developing smart components of FSCs and integrating them into new device configurations. In this work, FSCs based on a Ti₃C₂ nanosheet (NS) and an organic ionic conductor (OIC)-induced hydrogel as the electrode and the electrolyte, respectively, were used. The FSCs fabricated have three different configurations (sandwich, twisted fiber, and interdigitated) and a comparative study of their electrochemical performance was investigated in terms of cycle stability, bending stability, power density, and energy density. Finally, the experimental validation of practical application was conducted, which suggested excellent electrochemical stability of Ti₃C₂ NS FSCs for driven commercial electronic gadgets. This study presents mechanically robust, lightweight, high-performance FSCs, which can be assembled in different configurations for powering wearable electronic devices.

This review addresses the vital role of solid-state electrolytes to develop highly efficient, customizable flexible energy generation and storage devices.