Transduction of UV-light energy into alternating-current electricity via a neglected internal photoelectric effect of metal foil-based nanogenerator

Massive free electrons in metals could escape from the metal surface to generate a convection current when colliding with high-energy photons (e.g. UV light). Namely, metals with specific work functions could transduce light energy into direct-current (DC) electricity via the famous external photoelectric effect. However, obtaining alternating-current (AC) electricity via a non-Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction directly using metal foil is challenging. Inspired by our recent work, we herein for the first time report a subtle method to directly transduce UV light energy into AC electricity by metal foil nanogenerators and propose a new mechanism regarding the transduction of UV light into AC electricity entitled the neglected internal photoelectric effect (NIPE). According to the NIPE, a zinc foil-based NIPE nanogenerator (NIPEG) can output an optimal open-circuit voltage (V-oc) and a short-circuit current (I-sc) of 108 V and 320 mu A, respectively. The maximum output power and the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the fabricated nanogenerator approach 23.9 W m(-2) and 77.02%, respectively. Meantime, the electrical energy stored in the capacitor connected to the Zn foil-based nano-generator after rectification is several orders of magnitude higher than that of the conventional Cu/PTFE/PET/ Cu-based triboelectric nanogenerator and Cu/PTFE/Al-based water droplet nanogenerator. The herein approach potentially offers a novel energy harvesting and conversion avenue to develop self-powered and wearable electronic devices.