Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Research Articles

Application Of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting At Airports: Energy Sources, Materials And Design

Airports have many areas with intensive activities that can be potential sources for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting because airports are places that produce much mechanical energy that has not been realized. This mechanical energy comes from various sources, such as passenger and visitor traffic, vehicle movement, elevator and conveyor use, and aircraft activity on runways and taxiways. The research methodology used is a Literature Review. This article reviews the factors that affect PEH, namely energy sources, materials, and design, and it is a literature study article related to smart airport technology. This article aims to establish hypotheses of influence between variables as a reference for further research. This literature review article will produce: 1) Energy source affects Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting; 2) Materials affect Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting; and 3) Design affects Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting. This research will produce a deeper understanding of the potential mechanical energy utilized at airports and how energy harvesting technology can be applied to optimize these mechanical energy sources. Hopefully, this article will provide an overview of designing Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting suitable for airports.

Equivalent damping coefficient of a bistable piezoelectric cantilever beam energy harvester via experimental-analytical balanced energy method

This study shed light on the simultaneous effects of bistability and electrical resistor on the equivalent damping of a piezoelectric cantilever beam energy harvester. Damping coefficient has a direct effect on the frequency bandwidth of an oscillating system. This paper, extends the experimental-analytical balanced energy (BE) method to obtain the damping change due to bistability of a piezoelectric energy harvester. By using extended Hamilton principle and Euler-Lagrange formulation with nonlinear magnetic field relations, the governing equations of the system are derived. Then the equivalent BE viscous damping model was adopted and the equivalent damping term is achieved. In BE method, the test signals are registered into the proposed BE algorithm, then the equivalent viscous damping coefficient of the system will be obtained. In the end, the effects of bistability and electrical resistor of the power circuit of piezoelectric patch is discussed. According to the results, by increasing the bistability of the system, the equivalent damping of the system will also increase. Besides by escalation the value of electrical load in piezoelectric power circuit, the value of the equivalent damping coefficient reaches a maximum value. This behavior is originated from the extracted power of the system.

Performance Analysis of Low Frequency Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Systems with Multiple Nonlinear Factors and Bidirectional Excitations

Performance Analysis of Low Frequency Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Systems with Multiple Nonlinear Factors and Bidirectional Excitations

Energy harvesting from transverse galloping using a two-degree-of-freedom flow energy harvester

Abstract A two degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) galloping piezoelectric energy harvesting system where both oscillators are excited by the incoming flow is studied in this paper. A coupled lumped-parameter model is developed to simulate the electro-fluid-structural coupling behaviour assuming a quasi-steady aerodynamic flow field. The differential equations governing the dynamics of the lumped system are converted into nonlinear algebraic equations employing the harmonic balance method (HBM) and then solved using Newton’s method. The approximate analytical solutions are compared to the solutions obtained by numerical integration, and the results agree, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The solutions were subsequently used to investigate the effects of the bluff body dimension, mechanical, electrical, aerodynamic, and electromechanical parameters on the performance of the harvester and to illustrate how to optimise some of these parameters to reduce the cut-in wind speed and maximise the power output of the energy harvester. It will be shown that the energy harvesting performance could be significantly improved by introducing piezoelectric transducers on both oscillators and including both masses in the incoming flow. A comparative study between the proposed 2-DOF flow energy harvesting system, a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) galloping piezoelectric energy harvester (GPEH), and other configurations of 2-DOF GPEH shows that the present 2-DOF GPEH generates the largest power peak.

Effects of corrugation on convective heat transfer and power generation in a wavy walled triangular cavity equipped with inclined elastic fin and piezo-energy harvester assembly

Piezoelectric energy harvesters are one of the energy conversion technologies that can be used to convert a variety of external sources, including wind, fluid motion, and vibrations, into electrical energy. This work suggests a novel wall corrugation design in addition to an elastic fin piezo assembly arrangement for power generation and thermal management in a triangular cavity during turbulent forced convection of air. Using the finite element method with ALE, the analysis is conducted for different values of fin inclination (γ between 0 and 60), corrugation amplitude (Af between 0.01H and 0.06H), corrugation frequency (Nf between 1 and 20) and fin distance from the mid-point of the inclined wall in wall direction. The average Nusselt number (Nu) and generated power (PW) show a non-linear increasing trend with increasing fin tilt. Average Nu increment factor becomes 5.17 with the highest fin inclination while the power increments become 11.6 and 4.46 when rising inclination from 30 to 45 and from 45 to 60. The generated power rises with higher corrugation amplitude and wave number. However, increasing the wave number results in thermal performance degradation. Increment of average Nu becomes 1.17 with highest corrugation amplitude while it declines by a factor of 10.3 at the highest wave number. Power enhancement factors of 5.73 and 2.32 are obtained by increasing the corrugation amplitude from Af = 0.0714H to Af = 0.1786H and from Af = 0.1786H to Af = 0.2143H. When fin positions sf = 0.7143H and sf = -0.7143H are compared with the case of fin location at sf = 0, the power increment factors become 12.27 and 4.76, respectively. For the power produced by the piezo device, a polynomial type correlation is suggested by adjusting the parameters of the corrugated wall.

Enhanced piezoelectric properties of additively manufactured BCZT with an oriented ceramic lamellar structure formed via vat photopolymerization

Advances in additive manufacturing have enabled the creation of piezoceramic materials with complex architectures. However, the lack of a clear structural design strategy limits their performance and application in high-performance piezoelectric transducer devices. This work outlines the additive manufacture of a novel sandwich architecture based on a porous (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 (BCZT) layer containing oriented ceramic lamellae. The d33 charge coefficients and g33 voltage coefficients of the optimized porous ceramic were 1.16 times and 2.11 times higher than those of the dense counterparts respectively. After electroding the aligned lamellar ceramic with an indium tine oxide film a piezoelectric sensor was obtained which, when subject to a pressure of 7.5 MPa, produced a open circuit voltage of 173 V. This paper provides a new structural design strategy to effectively improve the performance of piezoelectric ceramics, and provides new opportunites for the design and production of additive manufactured piezoelectric sensors and energy harvesting devices.

Simulation and Experimental Research on a New Symmetrical Hydraulic Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

This study introduces a new symmetrical hydraulic piezoelectric energy harvester. By integrating theoretical analysis, simulation, and empirical testing, the research delves into the energy‐harvesting potential of monolithic single‐side output, monolithic two‐side parallel‐connected output, stacked one‐side parallel‐connected output, and stacked two‐side parallel‐connected output under varying parameter configurations. Additionally, it elucidates the energy dissipation occurring during the energy‐harvesting process of stacked piezoelectric disks. It has been observed that the primary determinant of voltage is the amplitude of pulsation, not the static pressure. Concurrently, the study also addresses the consistency of power generation between multiple channels. A study is made on whether there is a proportional relationship between single‐channel power generation and multi‐channel power generation. The root mean square (RMS) voltage of each connection sharply rises with resistance from 2 to 100 KΩ. It is found that the performance of parallel connection of monolithic piezoelectric disk is better than that of other connection methods. At 3 MPa and 100 Hz, the optimal resistance is 16 KΩ, yielding a maximum average power of 1155.63 μW and an optimal power density of 1.774 μW (bar mm3)−1. Consequently, the research offers a novel approach to addressing the issue of sustainable energy supply for low‐power electronic devices and sensors.

Shape optimization of a non-uniform piezoelectric bending beam for human knee energy harvester

Abstract Scavenging energy from the human body to provide a sustainable source for electronic devices has gained significant attention. Recently, scientists have focused on harnessing biomechanical energy from human motion. This study was dedicated to developing and optimizing a non-uniform piezoelectric bending beam-based human knee energy harvester. The bimorph non-uniform piezoelectric bending beam consisted of a non-uniform carbon fiber substrate and piezoelectric macro fiber composites. Compared to the uniform piezoelectric bending beam, the non-uniform piezoelectric beam can optimize the shape to improve the average strain, thus improving the energy harvesting efficiency. In this study, eight shape functions, including ellipse, sin, tanh, exponential function, parabola, trigonometric line, and bell curves, were investigated and optimized. The bell curve bending beam was selected and fabricated due to its good performance. Then, a benchmark platform was developed to test the deflection curve and reaction force when the nonuniform bending beam was compressed. Finally, to validate the design, experimental testing on three subjects was conducted when they were equipped with the harvester and walked on a treadmill. Testing results indicated that the non-uniform bending beam-based energy harvester can improve the energy harvesting efficiency by 28.57% compared to the uniform beam-based energy harvester. The output power can reach 18.94 mW when walking at 7.0 km h−1.

Advanced Materials for Energy Harvesting and Soft Robotics: Emerging Frontiers to Enhance Piezoelectric Performance and Functionality.

Piezoelectric energy harvesting captures mechanical energy from a number of sources, such as vibrations, the movement of objects and bodies, impact events, and fluid flow to generate electric power. Such power can be employed to support wireless communication, electronic components, ocean monitoring, tissue engineering, and biomedical devices. A variety of self-powered piezoelectric sensors, transducers, and actuators have been produced for these applications, however approaches to enhance the piezoelectric properties of materials to increase device performance remain a challenging frontier of materials research. In this regard, the intrinsic polarization and properties of materials can be designed or deliberately engineered to enhance the piezo-generated power. This review provides insights into the mechanisms of piezoelectricity in advanced materials, including perovskites, active polymers, and natural biomaterials, with a focus on the chemical and physical strategies employed to enhance the piezo-response and facilitate their integration into complex electronic systems. Applications in energy harvesting and soft robotics are overviewed by highlighting the primary performance figures of merits, the actuation mechanisms, and relevant applications. Key breakthroughs and valuable strategies to further improve both materials and device performance are discussed, together with a critical assessment of the requirements of next-generation piezoelectric systems, and future scientific and technological solutions.

Parameter effects on performance of piezoelectric wind energy harvesters based on the interaction between vortex-induced vibration and galloping

Our previous research experimentally validated that the interaction between vortex-induced vibration and galloping is an effective method for enhancing the performance of piezoelectric wind energy harvesters under low wind speed conditions. We proposed a distributed-parameter electromechanical coupling model as well. This study aims to investigate the effects of various parameters and optimize the performance of VIV-galloping interactive piezoelectric wind energy harvesters. Initially, we assessed the applicability of the model under different circuit and aerodynamic force conditions and discussed boundary and convergence conditions by replicating previous results. Further, simulations were performed to analyze the effects of the structural parameters of the bluff body and piezoelectric beam. The width or depth of the bluff body significantly influenced the low critical wind speed, interactive occurrence, and electrical output. To achieve a balance between material cost and electrical benefit, we recommend positioning the electrode length from the fixed end with a coverage ratio of at least 60%. Additionally, the output power is highly sensitive to the piezoelectric beam length, but reducing it results in a higher natural frequency and critical wind speed. We fabricated and tested four prototypes, which have demonstrated significantly higher power densities compared with previously reported values at the same wind speed.

Magnetically frequency-modulated piezoelectric energy harvester for ultra-low-frequency wave motion

In this paper, a magnetically frequency modulated piezoelectric energy harvester (MFPEH) for ultra-low-frequency wave motion is proposed. The MFPEH employs multiple sets of magnets coupled to achieve optimal electrical output at ultra-low-frequency excitation (<2 Hz). A straight rack and pinion drive converts the vertical motion of the float into rotational motion, and magnets on the rotor provide excitation to the piezoelectric cantilever. As a result, the MFPEH converts random wave motion into steady rotational motion. The MFPEH uses a rational combination of multiple sets of magnets and frequency modulation by magnetic coupling, which greatly improves the output performance. This paper describes the key factors affecting the output performance of MFPEH. An experimental system simulating a wave environment is designed and constructed. Under the most effective experimental parameters, the MFPEH achieves an optimal power of 32.76 mW. In a real wave environment, the MFPEH was able to illuminate 85 LEDs and power a thermohygrometer for normal operation. These results validate the potential of the MFPEH to power small electronic devices.

Picking up railway track vibration energy using a novel doughnut-shaped piezoelectric energy harvester

Railway transportation is essential for modern infrastructure, and ensuring safety through real-time monitoring of track conditions is critical. However, providing cost-effective and stable power for sensors in remote areas remains a challenge. This paper presents a novel doughnut-shaped piezoelectric energy harvester designed to address this issue. Under a sinusoidal excitation of 50N and 110Hz, the harvester achieves an output power of 0.047 mW, which increases linearly with load. At optimal resistance (230 kΩ) and a load of 3 kN at 7Hz, the output voltage reaches 37.61V, resulting in an output power of 7.23 mW. In track vibration conditions, the harvester produces an output power of 207.67 mW, making it suitable for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, such as powering acceleration and speed sensors to monitor train operations and ensure track safety.

Design of hybrid optimized PI controller for power conditioning circuit of piezoelectric energy harvester

Abstract Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters (PEH) are vital in the present day to encourage advancing technology through producing sustainable energy and dealing with economic and ecological issues associated with batteries. The required stable energy production from the PEH is challenging due to its erratic behaviour with input. As such, a power conditioning circuit with an optimized controller is proposed in this paper. The Proportional Integral (PI) controller is utilized to control the boost converter of the PEH system. The conventional approach of selecting the controller parameters, such as Proportional gain (KP) and Integral gain (Ki), fails to produce optimal outcomes and is time-consuming. Metaheuristic optimization techniques such as Aquila Optimization (AO), African Vulture’s Optimization Algorithm (AVOA) and Hybrid Aquila Optimizer-based African Vulture’s Optimization Algorithm (HAOAVOA) are used to optimize the controller parameter. The different stages of PEH system (Rectifier, boost converter without controller, boost converter with un optimized controller and boost converter with optimized controller) are simulated and analysed using MATLAB-SIMULINK® software. An experimental study is executed to validate the performance of the PEH system with optimized controller. The experimentally obtained response is compared with simulation results. In which the HAOAVOA optimized PI controller gives the better response. Furthermore, the power conditioning circuit with a hybrid optimized controller produces an output of 12 V for the input of 6 V.

ZIF-67 Assists ultra-high piezoelectric output based on PVDF flexible nanogenerator

As smart electronics and self-powered devices continue to evolve, the emergence of piezoelectric polymers has sparked significant research interest. In this pioneering project, we have successfully synthesized ZIF-67 particles/tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAHP)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) tree-like nanofiber structures for the first time, which was characterized by a large number of branching nanofibers (down to 5 nm) and a uniform diameter trunk fiber (about 400 nm). And the synergistic interaction between these two distinct additives yields exceptional multifunctional properties. By optimizing the quantities of ZIF-67 and TBAHP, we enhanced the β-phase content and piezoelectric performance of PVDF through diameter refinement, interface coupling enhancement, and the introduction of a micro-capacitance mechanism. Notably, the improvements surpassed those achieved with a single additive. Specifically, the piezoelectric energy harvester fabricated using TBAHP/PVDF-TLNMs doped with 0.5 wt% ZIF-67 exhibited an output current of 4.25 μA and a peak voltage of 17.32 V, marking an increase of approximately 1187 % and 831 %, respectively, over pure PVDF nanofiber membranes. Furthermore, the device demonstrated sensitivity to motor movements and effectively harvested energy from diverse bodily motions.

Research on a frequency-increasing piezoelectric wave energy harvester based on gear mechanism and magnetic rotor

Abstract Wave energy is a widespread clean energy source, but harvesting low-frequency wave energy efficiently remains a challenge. In this paper, a frequency-increasing piezoelectric wave energy harvester (FPWEH) based on gear mechanism and magnetic rotor is proposed. The gear mechanism transforms the vertical motion of the wave into the higher-frequency rotational motion of the magnetic rotor. The magnetic rotor is equipped with several rotating magnets and one revolution of the magnetic rotor enables multiple excitations of the piezoelectric cantilevers. Therefore, the wave excitation frequency is increased, so that the FPWEH can obtain better output performance. The major factors influencing output performance are determined through theoretical and simulation analysis, and a test system to simulate the wave environment is established. According to experimental findings, the FPWEH can generate an output voltage of 69.82 V and a maximum power of 28.33 mW when the external resistance is 20 kΩ. It can also successfully power thermohygrometer and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These results validate the feasibility of the FPWEH for providing electricity to electronics with low power requirements. This research also offers a novel approach to harvesting low-frequency wave energy.

Promising ferroelectric and piezoelectric response of Cr-doped ZnO nanofiller-incorporated PVDF flexible and laminated nanocomposite system.

Cr3+-doped ZnO (CZ) nanoparticles are prepared using hydrothermal and co-precipitation techniques. The desired crystallographic phase of the nanoparticles is confirmed using X-ray diffraction study. Rod-shaped and spherical morphologies of CZ nanoparticles prepared using hydrothermal and co-precipitation techniques were confirmed through FESEM observation. Each type of nanoparticle was taken separately in PVDF to understand the characteristic properties, such as dielectric, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric properties of the resultant CZ-PVDF nanocomposite films. All the nanocomposite films comprising rod-shaped or spherical CZ nanoparticles show butterfly loops with a low leakage current density of 10-5 A m-2 at a maximum electric field of 100 kV m-2 under J-E measurement. These findings suggest that the polarization property of CZ-PVDF nanocomposite films can be obtained at a high external electric field without causing electric breakdown in the samples. Dielectric permittivity as a function of temperature increases with an increase in the loading percentage of both rod-shaped or spherical CZ nanofillers in PVDF. Polarization response also improves with an increase in the loading percentage of CZ nanofillers in PVDF. In particular, the rod-shaped CZ nanofillers in PVDF with a higher loading percentage (CZHP2) result in a maximum polarization of (10 ± 0.29) × 10-4 μC cm-2, remanent polarization of (2 ± 0.04) × 10-4 μC cm-2, and coercive field of (10 ± 0.1) kV cm-1 at a maximum electric field of 50 kV cm-1. The CZHP2 nanocomposite film has a piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of (25 ± 0.24) pC N-1 and a power density of 1278.90 W m-3. These results indicate that the nanocomposite films have potential application in piezoelectric energy harvesters, offering a possible solution to the energy issue faced by modern society.

Optimizing the Sewing Position of Flexible Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters on a Three-Dimensional Deforming Heart: An Integrated Approach Using Finite Element Analysis, Deep Learning, and Theoretical Modeling

Abstract Flexible piezoelectric energy harvesters (FPEHs) have attracted tremendous attention due to their potential applications in the field of biomedicine, such as powering implantable devices. Despite observations in numerous in vivo experiments that the electrical output of FPEHs varies considerably with sewing positions during energy harvesting from heartbeats, optimal sewing positions have not been thoroughly investigated. In this article, an approach that integrates finite element analysis (FEA), long short-term memory (LSTM) deep learning method, and theoretical modeling was proposed to investigate the impact of the sewing position on the harvest performance of the FPEH, utilizing real three-dimensional heart deformation data as the end-to-end displacement load for the FPEH. The results reveal that the sewing positions have a significant influence on the electric output performance of the FPEH. The optimal sewing position was identified near the posterior interventricular groove on the upper part of the left ventricle, with a corresponding optimal resistance value of 8 MΩ and an output power of 122.9 nW. Additionally, five suggested sewing positions across different regions of the heart's surface were provided for clinical application. The methodology that integrates FEA, deep learning approach, and theoretical modeling in this article can be extended to determine the optimal position for the flexible devices patching on other irregular and deforming surfaces.

Design and characterization of a wind-adaptable piezoelectric energy harvester utilizing a rigid-flexible compound blunt body

In response to the challenges posed by uncontrolled amplitude during galloping and narrow effective bandwidth during vortex-induced vibrations in current energy harvesters, a novel wind-adaptable piezoelectric energy harvester utilizing a rigid-flexible compound blunt body (W-APEH) is proposed. The rigid-flexible compound blunt body improves environmental adaptability and power generation capacity. During the transformation process of the rigid-flexible compound blunt body from a Y-shape to an r-shape, a vibration pattern changes from galloping to coupled vibration, then to vortex-induced vibration. The feasibility of the structure and principle of the W-APEH were proved through a series of simulations and experiments. The higher proportion of rigid wings within a blunt body increases the susceptibility to galloping. A larger windward angle will delay the occurrence of galloping in the W-APEH, shorten the time of coupled vibration, and reduce the output voltage. In the case of the flexible wing thickness remains below 0.3 mm, an increase in thickness leads to an extended galloping time, with vortex-induced vibrations occurring later. Specifically, the onset wind speed is only 3.5 m/s, and the working wind speed range is 5–21 m/s with appropriate structural dimensions. Furthermore, the W-APEH provides a maximum output power of 3.78 mW at an optimal load resistance of 250 kΩ.

A Novel Medium Access Policy Based on Reinforcement Learning in Energy-Harvesting Underwater Sensor Networks.

Underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) are fundamental assets to enable discovery and utilization of sub-sea environments and have attracted both academia and industry to execute long-term underwater missions. Given the heightened significance of battery dependency in underwater wireless sensor networks, our objective is to maximize the amount of harvested energy underwater by adopting the TDMA time slot scheduling approach to prolong the operational lifetime of the sensors. In this study, we considered the spatial uncertainty of underwater ambient resources to improve the utilization of available energy and examine a stochastic model for piezoelectric energy harvesting. Considering a realistic channel and environment condition, a novel multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithm is proposed. Nodes observe and learn from their choice of transmission slots based on the available energy in the underwater medium and autonomously adapt their communication slots to their energy harvesting conditions instead of relying on the cluster head. In the numerical results, we present the impact of piezoelectric energy harvesting and harvesting awareness on three lifetime metrics. We observe that energy harvesting contributes to 4% improvement in first node dead (FND), 14% improvement in half node dead (HND), and 22% improvement in last node dead (LND). Additionally, the harvesting-aware TDMA-RL method further increases HND by 17% and LND by 38%. Our results show that the proposed method improves in-cluster communication time interval utilization and outperforms traditional time slot allocation methods in terms of throughput and energy harvesting efficiency.

Conceptual Piezoelectric-Based Energy Harvester from In Vivo Heartbeats' Cyclic Kinetic Motion for Leadless Intracardiac Pacemakers.

This paper studies the development of piezoelectric energy harvesting for self-powered leadless intracardiac pacemakers. The energy harvester fit inside the battery compartment, assuming that the energy harvester would replace the battery with a smaller rechargeable battery capacity. The power output analysis was derived from the three-dimensional finite element analysis and in vivo heart measurements. A Doppler laser at the anterior basal in the right ventricle directly measured the heart's kinetic motion. Piezoceramics in the cantilevered configuration were studied. The heart motion was periodic but not harmonic and shock-based. This study found that energy can be harvested by applying periodic bio-movements (cardiac motion). The results also showed that the energy harvester can generate 1.1 V voltage. The effect of various geometrical parameters on power generation was studied. This approach offers potential for self-powered implantable medical devices, with the harvested energy used to power devices such as pacemakers.