Moisture electricity generators (MEGs) offer a promising route for harvesting energy from ambient humidity, yet their long-term operation is fundamentally limited by ion-concentration-gradient saturation, which induces reverse potential formation and performance decay. Recently, a photon-assisted moisture electricity generator that overcomes this bottleneck through a light–moisture coupling strategy is reported. By integrating a photosensitive layer with a proton-transport hydrogel and a moisture-adsorbing layer, photogenerated carriers continuously consume accumulated protons under illumination, dynamically reconstructing the ion concentration gradient during operation. This mechanism enables a transition from transient output to long-term steady-state power generation, achieving more than a threefold increase in power density. Beyond improving device performance, this work establishes a general framework for actively regulating ion gradients in hydrovoltaic systems and points toward sustainable, nonsacrificial strategies for next-generation MEGs.
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2026 The Author(s). EcoEnergy published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of China Chemical Safety Association.
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