Three-dimensional ceramic molding based on microstereolithography for the production of piezoelectric energy harvesters

Abstract

We have developed a three-dimensional (3-D) process for molding piezoelectric ceramic elements that uses a master polymeric mold produced by microstereolithography. With this method, ceramic slurry is injected into a 3-D polymeric mold in a centrifugal casting process. The polymeric master mold is thermally decomposed so that complex 3D piezoelectric ceramic elements can be produced. To demonstrate the fabrication of 3-D piezoelectric ceramic elements, we produced a helically curved piezoelectric element that can convert multidirectional loads into a voltage. We confirmed that the piezoelectric element could generate a voltage by applying a load in both parallel and lateral directions in relation to the helical axis. The power output of 123pW was obtained by applying the maximum load of 2.8N at 2Hz along the helical axis. The 3-D ceramic molding process is capable to produce a highly efficient 3-D piezoelectric energy harvester that can scavenge multidirectional vibration energy to generate electrical energy by optimizing its 3-D shape.