A soft-contact hybrid electromagnetic–triboelectric nanogenerator for self-powered water splitting towards hydrogen production

The effective acquisition of hydrogen energy from the ocean offers a promising sustainable solution for increasing global energy shortage. Herein, a self-powered high-efficient hydrogen generation system is proposed by integrating a triboelectric–electromagnetic hybrid nanogenerator (TEHG), power management circuit (PMC), and an electrolytic cell. Under the wind triggering, as-fabricated TEHG can effectively convert breeze energy into electric energy, which demonstrates a high output current of 20.3 mA at a speed rotation of 700 rpm and the maximal output power of 13.8 mW at a load of 10 MΩ. Remarkably, as-designed self-powered system can perform a steady and continuous water splitting to produce hydrogen (1.5 μL·min⁻¹) by adding a matching capacitor between the PMC and electrolytic cell. In the circuit, the capacitor can not only function as a charge compensation source for water splitting, but also stabilize the working voltage. Unlike other self-powered water splitting systems, the proposed system does not need catalysts or the complex electrical energy storage/release process, thus improving the hydrogen production efficiency and reducing the cost. This work provides an effective strategy for clean hydrogen energy production and demonstrates the huge potential of the constructed self-powered system toward carbon neutralization.