Quadrupling the stored charge by extending the accessible density of states

Abstract

Nanosized energy storage, energy harvesting, and functional devices are the three key components for integrated self-power systems. Here, we report on nanoscale electrochemical devices with a nearly 3-fold-enhanced stored charge under the field effect. We demonstrated the field-effect transistor can not only work as a functional component in nanodevices but also serve as an amplifier for the nanosized energy-storage blocks. This unusual increase in energy storage is attributed to having a wide range of accessible electronic density of states (EDOS), and, hence, redox reactions are occurring within the nanowire and not being confined to the surface. Initial results with MoS2 suggest that this field-effect-modulated energy-storage mechanism may also apply to many other redox-active materials. Our work demonstrates the novel application of the field effect in energy-storage devices as a universal strategy to improve ion diffusion, which can greatly enhance the charge storage ability of nanoscale devices.