Bioinspired Energy Storage and Harvesting Devices

Abstract Knowledge learned from nature demonstrates that system performance can be enhanced and optimized by hierarchical structural design which has dramatically expanded implications for synthetic materials, from design to implementation. In recent years, numerous bioinspired and biomimetic strategies are devoted to design energy storage and harvesting devices. For these devices, efficient and stable electrode/electrolyte interfaces, modified interactions, and new functions are desired, which remain a challenge to fully meet the requirement of the rapidly developed electronic industry. This review, taking lithium batteries, nanogenerators and solar cells as examples, provides a summary and discussion of how the bio‐inspired strategies can influence the electrode/device design and the corresponding interface interactions. By applying and learning from biological materials, natural hierarchical structure, surface topography, and biochemical process, enhanced performance and stability for energy devices can be achieved. Future research expectations in this field and energy management are also discussed.