Achieving ultra-stable and superior electricity generation by integrating transistor-like design with lubricant armor

Extensive work have been done to harvest untapped water energy in formats of raindrops, flows, waves, and others. However, attaining stable and efficient electricity generation from these low-frequency water kinetic energies at both individual device and large-scale system level remains challenging, partially owing to the difficulty in designing a unit that possesses stable liquid and charge transfer properties, and also can be seamlessly integrated to achieve preferential collective performances without the introduction of tortuous wiring and redundant node connection with external circuit. Here, we report the design of water electricity generators featuring the combination of lubricant layer and transistor-like electrode architecture that endows enhanced electrical performances in different working environments. Such a design is scalable in manufacturing and suitable for facile integration, characterized by significant reduction in the numbers of wiring and nodes and elimination of complex interfacing problems, and represents a significant step toward large-scale, real-life applications.