Chaotropic Effect-Boosted Thermogalvanic Ionogel Thermocells for All-Weather Power Generation

Ionic thermocells convert heat into electricity and are promising power sources for electronic devices. However, discontinuous and small electricity output limits practical use under varying environmental conditions. Here, a thermogalvanic ionogel with a high Seebeck coefficient (32.4 mV K-1) is designed. Thermocells that combine thermogalvanic ionogel-based thermocells, which realize all-weather power generation via passive radiative cooling, are also developed. These thermocells generate electricity continuously under varying weather conditions and over a wide temperature range (-40 to 90 degrees C), with a normalized power density of 25.84 mW m-2 K-2. Advanced characterization shows that the chaotropic effect enhances the Seebeck coefficient, while the self-supplying temperature difference given the radiative cooling structure enables all-weather power generation. These results provide an effective strategy for developing practical thermocells suitable for diverse daily and seasonal variations. A thermogalvanic ionogel composed of an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, and an ion redox couple, [Fe(CN)6]4-/[Fe(CN)6]3-, is prepared to achieve high thermogalvanic effects for all-weather, temperature self-supplying thermocell, through the combination of the passive radiative cooling regulation. The fabricated thermocell displays a high normalized temperature-relevant power density (Pmax/Delta T2) and a giant Seebeck coefficient.image