Imperceptible energy harvesting device and biomedical sensor based on ultraflexible ferroelectric transducers and organic diodes

Andreas Petritz,Teppei Araki,Esther Karner-Petritz,Philipp Schäffner,Barbara Stadlober,Tsuyoshi Sekitani,Takafumi Uemura

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22663-6

Abstract

Energy autonomy and conformability are essential elements in the next generation of wearable and flexible electronics for healthcare, robotics and cyber-physical systems. This study presents ferroelectric polymer transducers and organic diodes for imperceptible sensing and energy harvesting systems, which are integrated on ultrathin (1-µm) substrates, thus imparting them with excellent flexibility. Simulations show that the sensitivity of ultraflexible ferroelectric polymer transducers is strongly enhanced by using an ultrathin substrate, which allows the mounting on 3D-shaped objects and the stacking in multiple layers. Indeed, ultraflexible ferroelectric polymer transducers have improved sensitivity to strain and pressure, fast response and excellent mechanical stability, thus forming imperceptible wireless e-health patches for precise pulse and blood pressure monitoring. For harvesting biomechanical energy, the transducers are combined with rectifiers based on ultraflexible organic diodes thus comprising an imperceptible, 2.5-µm thin, energy harvesting device with an excellent peak power density of 3 mW·cm−3.

Highlights

Energy autonomy and conformability are essential elements in the generation of wearable and flexible electronics for healthcare, robotics and cyber-physical systems
Many disruptive digital technologies like the Internet of Everything, cyber-physical systems, robotics or e-health are based on components that are inexpensive and facile to produce[1,2,3], made of sustainable and/or biocompatible materials[1], and are energy-saving, or even self-powered[1,4]
We demonstrated energy harvesting and sensor devices with ultraflexibility like an ultraflexible ferroelectric polymer transducer, an ultraflexible organic diode and ultraflexible rectifier circuits

Summary

Introduction

Energy autonomy and conformability are essential elements in the generation of wearable and flexible electronics for healthcare, robotics and cyber-physical systems. This study presents ferroelectric polymer transducers and organic diodes for imperceptible sensing and energy harvesting systems, which are integrated on ultrathin (1-μm) substrates, imparting them with excellent flexibility. Nextgeneration biomedical devices must snuggle perfectly to the skin or tissue and be lightweight but should be energyautonomous This can be provided by device-integrated nanogenerators and energy storage elements that will guarantee the continuous and imperceptible recording of medical parameters[4]. Numerous examples of nanogenerators for wearable[4] and implantable[22] biomedical devices were presented, some of them allowing for conformal contact to the skin[13,23,24], they lack of combining conformability, energy harvesting and sensing with a facile, scalable and cost-effective route to mass manufacturing[1]. These characteristics allow them to be wrapped around or attached to moving and complex three-dimensional surfaces

Methods

Results

Conclusion