Effect of water droplet wetting behavior on water-droplet-based electricity generator performance

Droplet-based electricity generators (DEGs) have garnered significant interest due to their straightforward metal substrate/dielectric/metal electrode configurations and their capacity to produce instantaneous high power. This study investigates the influence of droplet conductivity and drop conditions on circuit parameters through an analysis of I-V characteristics under varying load resistance conditions. The results reveal that alterations in droplet resistance and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) charge density due to varying droplet dynamics play a pivotal role in shaping DEG output. The charged state of PTFE on DEG was found to differ with the expansion and contraction of the droplets.