High-Toughness Ionogels with Ionic Liquid-Acrylic Networks for Moisture-Driven Energy Generation

To overcome the dual limitations of conventional moisture electricity generation (MEG) materials, including poor mechanical properties and limited electrical output, we developed a novel ionogel via UV-initiated copolymerization of 1-butyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide (BVIm-Br) and acrylic acid (AA). The BVIm-Br/AA copolymer network, reinforced by extensive hydrogen bonding, imparts excellent mechanical properties, achieving a tensile strength of 44.76 MPa and a strain of 375.01%, while maintaining stability under cyclic strains up to 400%. Integrated into MEG devices, the ionogel delivers remarkable moisture-driven electrical performance under relative humidity (RH) 100%, producing an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 922 mV, a short-circuit current (ISC) density of 165 μA·cm–2, and power density of 15.67 μW·cm–2. This work breaks through the performance bottleneck of MEG material design and establishes a new paradigm for next-generation environmental energy harvesters, with promising applications in ambient energy conversion and wearable electronics.