Multi-source Energy Harvesting Research Articles

A Self-Powered Interface Circuit for Piezoelectric and Photovoltaic Energy Extracting

This paper presents a high-efficiency multi-source energy harvesting system consisting of a piezoelectric rectifier, a photovoltaic maximum power point tracking circuit and a fast self-startup circuit for powering wireless sensor nodes. Synchronous electric charge extraction techniques (SECE) are utilized to extract the piezoelectric energy when the deflection of piezoelectric energy harvester beam reaches its peak. Compared with other circuits, the proposed SECE technique can achieve piezoelectric and photovoltaic extraction simultaneously with a concise flyback topology structure. A novel maximum power point tracking method is adopted to enhance the robustness of operation against changing operating condition and improve the photovoltaic extraction efficiency. To remove the need for a battery, a simple and efficient self-startup circuit is introduced. The energy harvesting circuit is fabricated in 180 nm CMOS process. Measurement results show a fast self-startup at a relatively low light intensity of 120 lux is realized. The energy harvesting circuit is capable of outputting 189 μW power at 3.3 V piezoelectric open circuit voltage and 0.6 V photovoltaic input voltage.

Phase change composite based on lignin carbon aerogel/nickel foam dual-network for multisource energy harvesting and superb EMI shielding

With the increasingly rapid pace of updates and iterations in electronic devices, electronic equipment/systems are becoming progressively intricate, aiming to achieve swift responsiveness through higher packaging density, which leads to electromagnetic interference and brings along with it heat accumulation, the creation of new composite phase change materials with efficient thermal management capabilities integrated with excellent electromagnetic interference shielding capabilities is imminent. In this study, nickel foam/lignin/rGO dual network scaffolds (LGN) with high electrical conductivity were prepared by vacuum-assisted adsorption, freeze-drying, and thermal annealing, and then PEG was encapsulated in LGN by vacuum impregnation to obtain shape-stabilized PEG/NiF/LN-rGO (PLGN) composite phase change material. The results demonstrate that the prepared PLGNs exhibit robust stability, exceptional thermal management capabilities, and commendable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE). Among these composites, PLGN-3 stands out with a notably high energy storage density, featuring a melting enthalpy of 140.95 J/g and a relative enthalpy efficiency of 98.72%. Benefiting from its outstanding electrical conductivity (1597.5 S/cm for PLGN-3) and superior light absorption, the PLGN composite phase change material also demonstrates highly effective photothermal and electrothermal conversion capabilities. In addition, the EMI shielding effectiveness reaches up to 69.9 dB at 8.2–12.4 GHz. In conclusion, the synthesized PLGN composite phase change material demonstrates considerable promise for mitigating electromagnetic interference and facilitating thermal energy management in electronic devices.

Active reallocation of photogenerated carriers by triboelectric electro-field for improving nonuniformly illuminated photovoltaic module

Different from standard indoor testing for photovoltaic (PV) cells, the outdoor working of large PV modules suffers an inevitable issue of nonuniform illumination. Even a 10 % partial area shading results in an 80 % power attenuation. This can be attributed to the endogenous lateral transfer of photogenerated carriers between differently illuminated zones. Herein, we presented an active reallocation strategy for rationalizing lateral carrier transfer inside PV modules, which utilizes triboelectric electro-field to dynamically balance the p-n junction barrier height at interfaces of different illumination states. As demonstrated by a flexible hybrid energy harvester combining triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) and solar cells, by managing with rectifier-free circuits or even small chips, a small power sacrifice of TENGs exchanges for remarkable performance improvement of PV modules, leading to a power output gain of up to 87.7 % for half-shaded PV modules of different material and structural configurations. Besides, the reallocation electric field adapts well to a wide range of voltage or even pulsed triboelectric voltage, providing a mutually beneficial energy management technology for multi-source energy harvesting. This strategy of active reallocation by triboelectric effect provides an endogenous PV module promotion approach with prominent structural adaptability for distributed or even portable on-body power generation.

Design, modelling and experiments on a multisource energy harvester based on a single ferroelectric ceramic

Abstract Energy harvesting is a promising technique that can provide renewable and clean energy for the wireless sensor nodes. However, the solar, mechanical and thermal energies in our living environment are not always available due to the day/night, the weather and working conditions. Therefore, energy harvesting for a single energy source cannot provide a stable and continuous energy supply. Here, a multisource energy harvester based on a single material/structure (PLZT-Sb) is presented for scavenging solar, thermal, and mechanical energies simultaneously or individually. And then the output energy mathematical model is established and proved experimentally. The enhanced energy generations with the peak voltage of 1.9kV and peak current of 200nA are achieved by the unique integration of multi-effects, which can drive 139 LEDs. This work demonstrates an innovative approach for developing multisource energy harvester in a single ferroelectric material on the basis of the coupled multi-physics fields.

Autonomous self-healing hybrid energy harvester based on the combination of triboelectric nanogenerator and quantum dot solar cell

Realization of multi-source energy harvesting with one single device would maximize power output. Thus, it is emerging as a promising strategy towards renewable energy generation and has attracted worldwide attention in the past decades. Capable of capturing mechanical energy that is ubiquitous in the ambient environment, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been considered a novel yet effective source towards next-generation energy harvesting. In this work, a flexible hybrid energy harvester (HEH) is developed via the rational integration of autonomous self-healing TENG and high bending-stable lead sulfide quantum dot (PbS QD) solar cell, enabling independent electricity generation by two different mechanisms. The single-electrode mode TENG component with self-healing is realized by a polydimethylsiloxane/Triton X-100 (PDMS/TX100) mixture as the dielectric layer and the shared gold (Au) electrode, which generates 0.39 µA of output current (Iout), 24.6 V of output voltages (Vout), 15.4 nC of transfer charges (Qsc), and 7.80 mW m−2 of output power peak density. The thin-film solar cell component is based on a PbS QD layer as the light absorber with a planar structure fabricated under low-cost and compatible conditions, achieving 22.8 mA cm−2 of short-circuit current density (Jsc) and 4.92% of power conversion efficiency (PCE). As a proof of concept, an electronic watch is successfully powered by harnessing ambient mechanical and solar energy with a hybridized energy cell. This approach will offer more opportunities to construct a versatile platform towards remote monitoring and smart home systems.

Monolithic Integration of a Microwave Amplifier and a Multisource Energy Harvesting Circuit

Monolithic Integration of a Microwave Amplifier and a Multisource Energy Harvesting Circuit

An RF Power Amplifier Integrated With the Self-Health Monitor Sensor and Multisource Energy Harvesting Circuit

An RF Power Amplifier Integrated With the Self-Health Monitor Sensor and Multisource Energy Harvesting Circuit

A multisource energy harvesting circuit for vibration and light energy with MPPT

SummaryThe article presents a multisource energy harvesting circuit (MEHC) for vibration and light energy with maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The MEHC has a cold start capability and extracts energy from piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) and photovoltaic cells (PVs) simultaneously when the multi PZTs reach their peak open‐circuit (OC) voltage, detected by the peak voltage detector and the PV1 cell voltage exceeds the MPP voltage (MPP voltage is approximately 0.7 times the PV cell's OC voltage) during the off‐peak time of the PZTs. The experimental results indicate that the output power of the MEHC is 2.8 mW under certain conditions, and the maximum energy extraction efficiency of the PVs is about 75%. The output power of the MEHC is 4.59 times of that without PVs.

Multisource Energy Harvester on Textile and Plants for Clean Energy Generation from Wind and Rainwater Droplets

Multisource Energy Harvester on Textile and Plants for Clean Energy Generation from Wind and Rainwater Droplets

(Invited) Multifunctional Plasma-Enabled Low Dimensional Nanoarchitectures: From Synthesis to Devices

In this presentation, we will give an overview on our last advances in the exploitation of plasma and vacuum deposition methods for the nanoengineering of thin films and supported low-dimensional materials. A key step in the development of such nanoarchitectures is the implementation of a soft-template procedure based on the use of single-crystal small-molecule nanowires grown on processable substrates under mild conditions. We will demonstrate the application of vacuum and plasma-assisted deposition techniques to develop complex nanowires (NWs) and nanotubes (NTs) with a core@multishell morphology where each shell adds functionality or multifunctionality to the system. The steps required for the integration of these nanomaterials as supported or in-device applications will be presented. Two final applications will drive the presentation, namely, the development of multisource energy harvesters (and self-powered sensors) and novel approaches for smart and efficient de-icing by acoustic waves covering the topics of the 3DScavengers and SOUNDofICE EU projects. The universal character of vacuum and plasma methods allows for the deposition of an unprecedented variety of possibilities, including, organic (small-molecules, organic nanocomposites, polymeric layers), inorganic (metal and metal oxides), hybrid (hybrid perovskite) materials acting as conducting, semiconducting, dielectric, photo-absorbent, piezoelectric or plasmonic components in a multilayer or radial configuration. We will share the results accomplished during the last years in the field of energy harvesting (solar cells,[1-4] piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators[5-7]), semi-transparent nanoelectrodes,[8] wetting [9], de-icing and anti-icing.[10-11] References Filippin, A., Sanchez-Valencia, J., Borras, A. et al. (2017) Nanoscale, 9:8133-8141.Barranco, A., Borras, A., Sanchez-Valencia J. R. et al. (2020) Adv. Ener. Mater 10:1901524.Castillo, J., Borras, A., Sanchez-Valencia J.R. et al. (2022) Adv. Mater. 34:2107739.Obrero, J., Borras A., Barranco, A. (2022) Adv. Ener. Mater. 12:2200812.Filippin, A. N., Borras, A. et al. (2019) Nano Energy 58:476-483.García-Casas, X., Borras, A. et al. (2022) Nano Energy 91:106673.García-Casas, X. Borras, A. et al. Patent application Self-powered triboelectric transductor device for drops and liquids. EP23382176.8Castillo-Seoane, J., Borras, A. et al. (2021) Nanoscale 13:13882.Montes, L., Borras, A. et al. (2021) Adv. Mater. Interf. 21:2100767.Lopez-Santos, C., Borras, A. et al. (2019) Langmuir 35:16876.Del Moral, J., Montes, L., Borras, A. et al. (2023) Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, 2209421

EnSysta: A novel architecture of multi-source energy harvesting system

Passive sensing and computing system derived from the combination of environmental capacitive technology and sensing technology, such system obtains energy from the environment for sensing, computing, and wireless communication, has the advantages of energy self-supply, autonomous operation, long-term independent maintenance-free operation, and are the future development trends of Internet of Things technology. But at present, the passive system obtains energy from a single source and the conversion efficiency is low. At present, there are no low-power devices and hardware architectures designed for passive systems, resulting in computing, sensing, and communication power consumption exceeding the capability limit. Therefore, the core problem that restricts the development and application of passive systems is “limited energy”, which further leads to the problems of “short communication distance”, “poor perception” and “inefficient computation”. This paper intends to systematically study the problem of “limited energy”, starting from three aspects of “energy collection”, “energy management” and “energy utilization”, and proposes that “multi-energy source compound energy collection” is energy “open source”, “energy management based on load task model and energy model matching” and “adaptive load task execution planning” is energy “throttling”. This paper provides a comprehensive and systematic solution and research idea for solving the “energy-limited” problem of passive sensing and computing systems and provides strong support for the maturity and application of passive system technology.

Enhancing the Sustainability of Acoustic Backscatter Communication with Multi-Source Energy Harvesting

Backscatter Communication (BackCom) has opened up various novel joint sensing and communication applications in the Internet of things (IoT) domain. In particular, the IoT devices in water bodies have seen a recent paradigm shift toward more sustainability with the advent of Acoustic Backscatter Communication (A-BackCom). However, despite the low-power budget of A-BackCom, it only relies on harvesting energy from the source (acoustic) signal. In this paper, we survey some Multi- Source Energy Harvesting (MSEH) techniques from terrestrial BackCom which can be adopted to enhance the sustainability of ABackCom. We also show and discuss a case study where multiple energy sources are harvested in the water body and how much the harvested energy could extend the operation ABackCom. Further, we discuss some challenges of MSEH in ABackCom. Results from our case study show that MSEH in ABackCom could extend the lifetime of an A-BackCom node by allowing a recharging time as low as 5.7 ms, even without an acoustic carrier signal.

A novel multisource energy harvester with enhanced thermal conductivity for efficient energy harvesting and superior EMI shielding

With the rapid growth of industries, renewable energy sources like wind and solar have emerged as prominent alternatives. However, their inherent intermittency demands the development of efficient energy harvester technologies. Conventional energy harvesters are limited to capturing a single energy type, resulting in compromised storage capabilities. Moreover, the detrimental effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) on equipment necessitate immediate attention. To address these challenges, we present the development of a novel phase change composite, CMW@PEG, which possesses remarkable enhancements in thermal conductivity (1.26 W/m∙K), electrical conductivity (71.9 S/cm), and UV absorption capacity (close to 1). Notably, this composite exhibits an outstanding EMI shielding capability of 49.36 dB, safeguarding equipment operations effectively. Furthermore, it showcases impressive solar-thermal (87.9 %) and electric-thermal (93.3 %) conversion efficiencies. The unique properties of CMW@PEG offer a pioneering strategy for harnessing and utilizing renewable energy efficiently and hold tremendous promise in advancing the sustainable energy landscape.

A Multifunctional Asymmetric Fabric for Sustained Electricity Generation from Multiple Sources and Simultaneous Solar Steam Generation.

Harvesting electrical energy from water and moisture has emerged as a novel ecofriendly energy conversion technology. Herein, a multifunctional asymmetric polyaniline/carbon nanotubes/poly(vinyl alcohol) (APCP) that can produce electric energy from both saline water and moisture and generate fresh water simultaneously is developed. The constructed APCP possesses a negatively charged porous structure that allows continuous generation of protons and ion diffusion through the material, and a hydrophilicity-hydrophobic interface which results in a constant potential difference and sustainable output. A single APCP can maintain stable output for over 130h and preserve a high voltage of 0.61V, current of 81µA, and power density of 82.4 µW cm-3 with 0.15 cm3 unit size in the water-induced electricity generation process. When harvesting moisture energy, the APCP creates dry-wet asymmetries and triggers the spontaneous development of electrical double layer with a current density of 1.25mA cm-3 , sufficient to power small electronics. A device consisting of four APCP can generate stable electricity of 3.35V and produce clean water with an evaporation rate of 2.06kg m-2 h-1 simultaneously. This work provides insights into the fabrication of multifunctional fabrics for multisource energy harvesting and simultaneous solar steam generation.

Fully flexible thermoelectric and piezoelectric hybrid generator based on a self-assembled multifunctional single composite film

Thermoelectric and piezoelectric hybrid generators (TPHGs) are attractive candidates for powering wearable body sensor networks continuously and permanently owing to their excellent access to human-generated energy. Herein, we propose a fully flexible single film-based TPHG comprising n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 particles and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene). The hybrid generator was assembled through simple drop-casting and gravitational settling effect, for the first time. The film layer sedimented with the conductive thermoelectric particles simultaneously served as an electrode and a bottom substrate for piezoelectric energy harvesting. The fabricated device generated outputs of 1 μA and 4 V at a temperature difference of 3 K and a bending displacement of 5 mm; these values indicate that the thermoelectric and piezoelectric effects were combined well without compromising the energy harvesting performance of each part. Furthermore, the fabricated device exhibited robust mechanical durability for ∼5000 bending cycles; this result was better than those of previously reported flexible TPHGs (f-TPHGs). The proposed design concept for f-TPHGs can aid in the development of high-performance multisource energy harvesting devices for wearable sensors.

Device for Simultaneous Wind and Raindrop Energy Harvesting Operating on the Surface of Plant Leaves

Soft (bio)hybrid robotics aims at interfacing living beings with artificial technology. It was recently demonstrated that plant leaves coupled with artificial leaves of selected materials and tailored mechanics can convert wind-driven leaf fluttering into electricity. Here, we significantly advance this technology by establishing the additional opportunity to convert kinetic energy from raindrops hitting the upper surface of the artificial leaf into electricity. To achieve this, we integrated an extra electrification layer and exposed electrodes on the free upper surface of the wind energy harvesting leaf that allow to produce a significant current when droplets land and spread on the device. Single water drops create voltage and current peaks of over 40V and 15µA and can directly power 11 LEDs. The same structure has the additional capability to harvest wind energy using leaf oscillations. This shows that environment-responsive biohybrid technologies can be tailored to produce electricity in challenging settings, such as on plants under motion and exposed to rain. The devices have the potential for multisource energy harvesting and as self-powered sensors for environmental monitoring, pointing at applications in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the internet of things (IoT), smart agriculture, and smart forestry.

Configurable Hybrid Energy Synchronous Extraction Interface With Serial Stack Resonance for Multi-Source Energy Harvesting

Conventional multi-source energy harvesters use the time-division multiplexing (TDM) scheme, where the inductor operates in discontinuous current mode (DCM) and fails to perform well in continuous current mode (CCM). This article presents a single-inductor hybrid energy synchronous extraction circuit with serial stack resonance (SSR) for multi-source energy harvesting. The proposed circuit incorporates a synchronous electric charge extraction (SECE) circuit for ac energy and two buck–boost circuits for dc energy with a single inductor, which can operate either in a TDM mode to harvest energy from different sources separately or in an SSR mode to extract energy from multiple sources synchronously. The proposed harvester is fabricated in a 0.18- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> CMOS process. It is configured with a photovoltaic (PV) cell, a thermoelectric generator (TEG), and two piezoelectric transducers (PZTs), where the number of PZTs is flexible to meet different application needs.

Synergistic multi-source ambient RF and thermal energy harvester for green IoT applications

In a future green Internet of Things (IoT) reality, billions of devices of the IoT infrastructure should be self-powered. Harvesting ambient energy to power IoT devices is an attractive solution that can extend battery life or can completely replace batteries. Considering the global applications of IoT, ubiquitous and continuous availability is an important requirement for ambient energy sources. Radio frequency (RF) energy from mobile phone towers and thermal energy from diurnal cycle temperature fluctuations are good candidates. In this study, we present a synergistic multi-source energy harvester (MSEH) comprising an RF energy harvester (RFEH) and a thermal energy harvester (TEH) integrated through a dual-function component, heatsink antenna. Both harvesters collect ambient energy 24 h a day and are not location specific. The TEH, which is in the shape of a box, collects energy using heatsinks on its sidewalls. The same heatsinks are optimized to also serve as receiving antennas of the RFEH, which collects energy from the GSM900, GSM1800, and 3G bands. Due to the synergistic integration, radiation efficiency of the antenna doubled from 40% to 80% which resulted in ∼10% increase in power conversion efficiency of the RFEH. Similarly, the average power of the TEH without heatsinks 120 μW is doubled to 240 μW for TEH with heatsinks. Field tests have shown that the outputs of the TEH and RFEH have increased 4 and 3 times compared to the independent TEH and RFEH respectively. A temperature and humidity sensor based IoT node has been successfully powered through this energy harvesting system. Overall, the MSEH can collect 3680 μWh of energy per day which is sufficient to obtain the sensors data with a time interval of 3.5 s.

Liquid‐Interfaces‐Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator: An Emerging Power Generation Method from Liquid‐Energy Nexus

As a state of matter, liquids exist in an extremely wide range, including water such as that in oceans and rivers, as well as various solutions, oils, liquid metals, etc. Due to the fluidity of liquids, the triboelectric effect based on them often shows unexpected results and can be used in complex environments. Herein, the latest research on working principles of the triboelectric effect at liquid–solid, liquid–liquid, and liquid–gas interfaces are reviewed. The factors affecting triboelectric charge generation and the output performance of liquid‐interfaces‐based TENGs (LI‐TENG) in terms of material, environment, and structure are systematically discussed. Besides, to harvest the ubiquitously existing energy in various forms, studies about the hybridization of LI‐TENG with other energy harvesters for syngeneic single‐source and multisource energy harvesting are also reviewed. Moreover, the performances of LI‐TENGs as energy harvesters and as novel sensors with various applications are reviewed. Finally, opportunities and challenges in the future development of LI‐TENG are discussed.

A full-textile triboelectric nanogenerator with multisource energy harvesting capability

This study develops a full-textile triboelectric nanogenerator to harvest energy from multiple sources, such as sound, human motion, and wind, individually. The textile device consists of three layers, an elastic electrically conductive fabric knitted by silicone-coated yarn as the negative component and electrode, a commercial silk fabric as the positive component, and a conductive fabric as the second electrode. Under the mechanical impact (force ∼50 N, frequency 3 Hz), the device can generate 888.08 ± 4.75 V peak-to-valley voltage, 2.01 ± 0.50 μA short-circuit current, and 138.55 mW/m2 maximum instantaneous power density. It can also convert low-frequency sound (e.g., 75 Hz) into 174.66 ± 2.59 V peak-to-valley voltage (short-circuit current 6.62 ± 0.13 μA, maximum instantaneous power density 19.4 mW/m2). We also used the forced vibration analysis and the intrinsic output characteristics to model the acoustoelectric conversion. The modeling showed good agreement with the experiment results. We further demonstrated the ability to harvest energy from multisource individually, such as airborne noise generated by a working machine, human motion, and wind. The electrical power generated can run commercial electronic devices (e.g., 37 LEDs) or accumulate in a capacitor. In addition, the device has high air permeability and good softness. It may be useful for developing wearable energy generators for various high-tech applications.