High-Current Water-Enabled Electricity Generation in Mushrooms via Synergistic Ion Sieving and Adsorption

Water-enabled electricity generation (WEG), which harvests energy from the natural water cycle, is a novel strategy for producing green electricity. Taking advantage of the ion sieving effect based on evaporation-induced water flows in charged nanopores, various WEG devices have been developed. Here, we report that a carbonized mushroom produces a record-high current output of up to 96.7 μA, which is attributed to a unique ion adsorption effect combined with an ion sieving effect. Specifically, the natural gradient potential from root to cap in a mushroom caused by tissue differentiation adsorbs different ions, enhancing the traditional ion sieving current. In synergy with the two effects, the mushroom can operate under a broad range of concentrations (0 to 0.6 mol L^-1) and represents significant improvements in current, duration, and total charge transfer. These findings reveal the hidden talent of mushrooms as natural materials for WEG, providing inspiration for the development of high-performance WEG devices.