New electric energy sources based on polyelectrolyte hydrogels

In the paper shown that gel placed in inert solution after initial deformation in electric field obtains a property to generate electric current of opposite direction that allows one to design a wide spectrum of new power sources. Polymer gel was synthesized on the base of polyethylenimine (PEI). In the experiment a hydrogel dispersion saturated by copper ions at concentration [-CN H]:[Cu2+]=4:1. PEI gel obtains electric charges during a reaction of copper ions sorption that takes place with formation of coordination boundary. In the experiment it was shown that the system under consideration represents a direct analogue of accumulator. Namely, after the internal electric power source was switched off the system turn to be a kind of electric current generator. Discharge curves (DC) of this gel-solution accumulator were obtained with help of self-recorder. Obtained curves differ from each other by the time of direct current influence. In experiments DC magnitude was equal to 5 m A. Due to electro-force motion of copper ions stimulated by electric field its are concentrated in cathode side if the tube. Consequently, the anode side of gel dispersion was left by copper ions. It becomes non-colored one. It was made conclusion, that electric energy accumulated by effective gel-solution generator is increasing while amount of electricity passing through the system is growing