Zinc Oxide Hydroelectric Cell: Pioneering Green Electricity Generation Through Water Splitting
摘要
The ever increasing sustainable energy demand has led to the exploration of various renewable energy sources. This study focuses on the development and analysis of a Zinc Oxide (ZnO)-based Hydroelectric Cell (HEC) for green electricity generation through water splitting. Unlike conventional solar cells and dry cells, the ZnO-based HEC offers an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution. The cell operates by splitting water molecules into OH- and H + ions using a non-photocatalytic process at ambient temperature, with Zn(-) and Ag(+) electrodes facilitating the redox reactions. The research investigates the effects of lithium (Li) and manganese (Mn) doping in ZnO, using a solid-state reaction technique to synthesize the doped samples with a molar ratio of 0.1:0.9. The doped ZnO materials demonstrated enhanced current generation, attributed to induced lattice defects and increased porosity. The results show that Li-ZnO and Mn-ZnO HECs achieve short circuit currents of 6 mA and 5.5 mA, respectively, compared to 5 mA for pure ZnO HEC. This study concludes that Li and Mn doping significantly improves the efficiency of ZnO-based HECs, presenting a promising approach for sustainable and portable electricity generation.