采用Helmholtz共鸣器与悬臂梁压电换能器的声能采集器研究

针对环境中广泛存在的声能,提出了一种采用Helmholtz共鸣器和悬臂梁压电换能器的声能采集器。Helmholtz共鸣器对入射声压进行放大,放大后的声压引起共鸣器弹性薄壁振动,薄壁的振动传递到压电换能器产生电能输出。建立了带弹性壁的立方形共鸣器的等效集中参数理论模型,并与压电换能器的机电特性结合,分析了声能采集器的声-机-电转换原理,研究了声压、声波频率和负载阻抗对输出功率的影响,研究结果为此类声能采集器的优化设计及工程应用提供了一种可行的方法。实验中,声源通过声波导管输出声能,当共鸣器管口处的声压级为94 dB时,系统实测最大输出功率达240μW。该采集器不仅可作为声能自供能采集器,还可在较远距离为低能耗电子装置进行有源声供能。      

Equivalent damping and frequency change for linear and nonlinear hybrid vibrational energy harvesting systems

A unified approximation method is derived to illustrate the effect of electro-mechanical coupling on vibration-based energy harvesting systems caused by variations in damping ratio and excitation frequency of the mechanical subsystem. Vibrational energy harvesters are electro-mechanical systems that generate power from the ambient oscillations. Typically vibration-based energy harvesters employ a mechanical subsystem tuned to resonate with ambient oscillations. The piezoelectric or electromagnetic coupling mechanisms utilized in energy harvesters, transfers some energy from the mechanical subsystem and converts it to an electric energy. Recently the focus of energy harvesting community has shifted toward nonlinear energy harvesters that are less sensitive to the frequency of ambient vibrations. We consider the general class of hybrid energy harvesters that use both piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy harvesting mechanisms. Through using perturbation methods for low amplitude oscillations and numerical integration for large amplitude vibrations we establish a unified approximation method for linear, softly nonlinear, and bi-stable nonlinear energy harvesters. The method quantifies equivalent changes in damping and excitation frequency of the mechanical subsystem that resembles the backward coupling from energy harvesting. We investigate a novel nonlinear hybrid energy harvester as a case study of the proposed method. The approximation method is accurate, provides an intuitive explanation for backward coupling effects and in some cases reduces the computational efforts by an order of magnitude.     

Theoretical investigations of energy harvesting efficiency from structural vibrations using piezoelectric and electromagnetic oscillators

Conversion of ambient vibrational energy into electric power has been the impetus of much modern research. The traditional analysis has focused on absolute electrical power output from the harvesting devices and efficiency defined as the convertibility of an infinite resource of vibration excitation into power. This perspective has limited extensibility when applying resonant harvesters to host resonant structures when the inertial influence of the harvester is more significant. Instead, this work pursues a fundamental understanding of the coupled dynamics of a main mass-spring-damper system to which an electromagnetic or piezoelectric mass-spring-damper is attached. The governing equations are derived, a metric of efficiency is presented, and analysis is undertaken. It is found that electromagnetic energy harvesting efficiency and maximum power output is limited by the strength of the coupling such that no split system resonances are induced for a given mass ratio. For piezoelectric harvesters, only the coupling strength and certain design requirements dictate maximum power and efficiency achievable. Since the harvesting circuitry must "follow" the split resonances as the piezoelectric harvesters become more massive, the optimum design of piezoelectric harvesters appears to be more involved than for electromagnetic devices.     

A generic double-curvature piezoelectric shell energy harvester: Linear/nonlinear theory and applications

Converting vibration energy to useful electric energy has attracted much attention in recent years. Based on the electromechanical coupling of piezoelectricity, distributed piezoelectric zero-curvature type (e.g., beams and plates) energy harvesters have been proposed and evaluated. The objective of this study is to develop a generic linear and nonlinear piezoelectric shell energy harvesting theory based on a double-curvature shell. The generic piezoelectric shell energy harvester consists of an elastic double-curvature shell and piezoelectric patches laminated on its surface(s). With a current model in the closed-circuit condition, output voltages and energies across a resistive load are evaluated when the shell is subjected to harmonic excitations. Steady-state voltage and power outputs across the resistive load are calculated at resonance for each shell mode. The piezoelectric shell energy harvesting mechanism can be simplified to shell (e.g., cylindrical, conical, spherical, paraboloidal, etc.) and non-shell (beam, plate, ring, arch, etc.) distributed harvesters using two Lamé parameters and two curvature radii of the selected harvester geometry. To demonstrate the utility and simplification procedures, the generic linear/nonlinear shell energy harvester mechanism is simplified to three specific structures, i.e., a cantilever beam case, a circular ring case and a conical shell case. Results show the versatility of the generic linear/nonlinear shell energy harvesting mechanism and the validity of the simplification procedures.     

Study of broad bandwidth vibrational energy harvesting system with optimum thickness of PET substrate

In this paper, we present the development of a flexible PET-based (polyethylene terephthalate; PET) vibrational energy harvesting system with broad bandwidth. This broad bandwidth harvesting system comprises of four units of individual ZnO (zinc oxide) piezoelectric harvester in the form of a cantilever structure connected in parallel, and rectifying circuit with storage module. This system has ability to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy from the varying ambient vibration. The design and simulation of a piezoelectric cantilever plate was described by using commercial software ANSYS FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to determine the optimum thickness of PET substrate, internal stress distribution, operation frequency and electric potential. With the optimum thickness predicted by developed accurate analytical formula analysis, the one-way mechanical strain that is efficient to enhance the induced electric potential can be controlled within the piezoelectric ZnO layer. In addition, the relationship among the model solution of piezoelectric cantilever plate equation, vibration-induced electric potential and electric power was realized. An individual piezoelectric harvester consists of flexible PET substrate, piezoelectric ZnO thin film with (002) c-axis preferred orientation, and selectively deposited UV-curable resin lump structure which is used to change the resonant frequency of the harvester. In combination with multi-harvesters and rectifying with storage module together, an energy harvesting system with broad bandwidth can be fabricated. One individual harvester achieves a maximum OCV (open-circuit voltage) up to 4 V with power density of 1.247 μW/cm³. So far, we succeeded in accomplishing a broad bandwidth system with operating frequency range within 100 Hz-450 Hz to enhance powering efficiency. When the DC voltage (direct current voltage) across a storage module is charged up to 1.55 V after rectification, a flash LED (light emitting diode) is driven.     

共晶键合与减薄技术的压电能量采集器（英）

采用微硅 锆钛酸铅（Si-PZT）悬臂梁结构并在悬臂梁末端附加镍质量块,构成可以工作于低频环境（小于1 000 Hz）的微压电能量采集器,一种利用压电效应将环境振动能转换为电能的器件。利用金薄膜作为中间层的共晶键合技术和PZT研磨减薄技术制备了微压电悬臂梁结构,PZT减薄实验最好结果为减薄至8 m。镍质量块（2 mm2 mm0.6 mm）采用微电铸工艺制备。通过对硅片与块材PZT的共晶键合工艺与PZT减薄技术的研究,制备出总厚度约为71 m的Si-PZT悬臂梁结构,其中硅梁厚约为47 m,PZT梁厚约为24 m。制备的微压电振动能量采集器样品的测试结果表明:在谐振频率为950 Hz,1.0g加速度激励条件下,其交流输出峰值电压可达958 mV。     

交联聚丙烯压电驻极体的压电性能及振动能量采集研究

以电子束辐照交联聚丙烯(IXPP)泡沫薄板为原材料, 首先利用热压工艺对微观结构进行改性, 然后采用电晕充电方法对样品实施极化处理, 使之具有压电效应, 成为压电驻极体. 通过准静态和动态压电系数d₃₃、复电容谱, 以及等温衰减的测量, 研究了IXPP压电驻极体膜的机电耦合性能; 同时考察了基于IXPP压电驻极体膜的振动能量采集器在{3-3}模式下对环境振动能的俘获. 结果表明, IXPP压电驻极体的准静态压电系数d₃₃可高达620 pC/N; 厚度方向的杨氏模量和品质因数(FOM, d₃₃·g₃₃)分别是0.7 MPa和11.2 GPa^-1; 在50, 70和90℃下进行等温老化, 经过24 h后, IXPP压电驻极体膜的准静态压电系数d₃₃分别降低到初始值的54%, 43%和29%; 采用面积为3.14 cm²的IXPP压电驻极体膜为换能元件, 当振子质量为25.6 g, 振动频率为820 Hz时, 振动能量采集器在匹配负载附近可以输出高达65 μW/g²的功率.     

Performance of a cantilever piezoelectric energy harvester impacting a bump stop

Piezoelectric cantilever beam energy harvesters are commonly used to convert ambient vibration into electrical energy. In practical applications, energy harvesters are subjected to large shocks which can shorten the service life by causing mechanical failure. In this work, a bump stop is introduced into the design of a piezoelectric cantilever beam energy harvester to limit the maximum displacement of the cantilever and prevent excessively high bending stresses developing as a result of shocks. In addition to limiting the maximum displacement of the beam, it is inevitable that the deflected shape of the beam and the electrical output are modified. A theoretical model for a piezoelectric cantilever beam harvester impacting against a stop is derived, which aims to develop an understanding of the vibration characteristics of the cantilever and quantify how the electrical output of the harvester is affected by the stop. An experiment is set up to measure the dynamics and the electrical output of a bimorph energy harvester and to validate the theoretical model. Numerical simulation results are presented for energy harvesters with different initial gaps and different stop locations, and it is found that the reduction in maximum bending stress is at the expense of the electrical power of the harvester.     

Flexible Graphene‐, Graphene‐Oxide‐, and Carbon‐Nanotube‐Based Supercapacitors and Batteries

Flexible energy‐storage devices increasingly attract attention owing to their advantages of providing lightweight, portable, wearable, or implantable capabilities. Many efforts are made to explore the structures and fabrication processes of flexible energy‐storage devices for commercialization. Here, the most recent advances in flexible energy‐storage devices based on graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are described, including flexible supercapacitors and batteries. First, properties, synthesis methods, and possible applications of those carbon‐based materials are described. Then, the development of carbon‐nanotube‐based flexible supercapacitors, graphene/graphene‐oxide‐based flexible supercapacitors, and graphene‐ and carbon‐nanotube‐based flexible battery electrodes are discussed. Finally, the future trends and perspectives in the development of flexible energy‐storage devices are highlighted.     

Potential of a piezoelectric energy harvester from sea waves

A sea wave energy harvester from the longitudinal wave motion of water particles is developed. The harvester consisting of a cantilever substrate attached by piezoelectric patches and a proof mass is used to collect electrical energy owing to the electromechanical coupling effect of the piezoelectric patches from the longitudinal wave motion. To describe the energy harvesting process, a mathematical model is developed to calculate the output charge and voltage from the piezoelectric patches according to the Airy linear wave theory and classical elastic beam model. Results show that the mean value of the generated power increases with the increase in the ratio of the width to the thickness of the cantilever, the wave height, the sea depth (which equals to the cantilever height in this study), the ratio of the proof mass to the cantilever mass, and the ratio of the sea depth to the wave length. A value of the power up to 55 W can be realized for a practical sea wave with the values of the sea depth, wave height and wave length to be 3 m, 2 m, and 15 m, respectively. The collected power harvesting with respect to different categories of the sea waves are provided. Our simulations also show the generated electric power can be further increased by an increase in dimensions of the harvester considering the scale effect. This research develops a new technique for energy harvesting from sea waves by piezoelectric energy harvesters.     

柔性Pb(Zr_(0.53)Ti_(0.47))O_3薄膜的高温铁电特性

随着柔性电子产品的迅速发展,具有优异铁电和压电性的Pb(Zr_(0.53)Ti_(0.47))O_3 (PZT)薄膜在柔性的非易失性存储器、传感器和制动器等器件中有广泛的应用前景.同时,由于外部环境越来越复杂,具有高温稳定特性的材料和器件受到越来越多的关注.本文在耐高温的二维层状氟晶云母衬底上,用脉冲激光沉积技术制备出外延的PZT薄膜,并通过机械剥离的方法,得到柔性的外延PZT薄膜.研究了Pt/PZT/SRO异质结的铁电和压电性及其高温特性,发现样品表现出优越的铁电性,剩余极化强度(P_r)高达65μC/cm~2,在弯曲104次后其铁电性基本保持不变,且样品在275℃高温时仍然保持良好的铁电性.本文为柔性PZT薄膜在航空航天器件中的应用提供了实验基础.     

Relative performance of a vibratory energy harvester in mono- and bi-stable potentials

Motivated by the need for broadband vibratory energy harvesting, many research studies have recently proposed energy harvesters with nonlinear characteristics. Based on the shape of their potential function, such devices are classified as either mono- or bi-stable energy harvesters. This paper aims to investigate the relative performance of these two classes under similar excitations and electric loading conditions. To achieve this goal, an energy harvester consisting of a clamped-clamped piezoelectric beam bi-morph is considered. The shape of the harvester's potential function is altered by applying a static compressive axial load at one end of the beam. This permits operation in the mono-stable (pre-buckling) and bi-stable (post-buckling) configurations. For the purpose of performance comparison, the axial load is used to tune the harvester's oscillation frequencies around the static equilibria such that they have equal values in the mono- and bi-stable configurations. The harvester is subjected to harmonic base excitations of different magnitudes and a slowly varying frequency spanning a wide band around the tuned oscillation frequency. The output voltage measured across a purely resistive load is compared over the frequency range considered. Two cases are discussed; the first compares the performance when the bi-stable harvester has deep potential wells, while the second treats a bi-stable harvester with shallow wells. Both numerical and experimental results demonstrate the essential role that the potential shape plays in conjunction with the base acceleration to determine whether the bi-stable harvester can outperform the mono-stable one and for what range of frequencies. Results also illustrate that, for a bi-stable harvester with shallow potential wells, super-harmonic resonances can activate the inter-well dynamics even for a small base acceleration, thereby producing large voltages in the low frequency range.     

Nonlinear dynamics of a bistable piezoelectric-composite energy harvester for broadband application

The continuing need for reduced power requirements for small electronic components, such as wireless sensor networks, has prompted renewed interest in recent years for energy harvesting technologies capable of capturing energy from ambient vibrations. A particular focus has been placed on piezoelectric materials and devices due to the simplicity of the mechanical to electrical energy conversion and their high strain energy densities compared to electrostatic and electromagnetic equivalents. In this paper an arrangement of piezoelectric layers attached to a bistable asymmetric laminate is investigated experimentally to understand the dynamic response of the structure and power generation characteristics. The inherent bistability of the underlying structure is exploited for energy harvesting since a transition from one stable configuration to another, or “snap-through”, is used to repeatedly strain the surface bonded piezoelectric and generate electrical energy. This approach has been shown to exhibit high levels of power extraction over a wide range of vibrational frequencies. Using high speed digital image correlation, a variety of dynamic modes of oscillation are identified in the harvester. The sensitivity of such modes to changes in vibration frequency and amplitude are investigated. Power outputs are measured for repeatable snap-through events of the device and are correlated with the measured modes of oscillation. The typical power generated is approximately 3.2?mW, comparing well with the needs of typical wireless senor node applications.     

可延展柔性无机微纳电子器件原理与研究进展

为适应下一代电子产品便携性、形状可变性、人体适用性等方面的进一步需求,近年来基于无机电子材料的可延展柔性电子技术成为全球电子产业界与学术界关注的新焦点.与有机柔性电子学器件不同,可延展柔性无机电子器件指的是建立在柔性基底上的无机电子组件.这种具有柔性的集成电路利用力学设计提供大变形,在保持无机脆性电子器件高性能和高可靠性的同时,具备形状可弯曲、可伸缩等柔性性能.本文综述了近年来无机柔性电子器件的进展,包括力学设计原理、基于界面黏附的转印集成方法以及柔性大变形下的失效机理等,并展望了未来的应用和发展.     

Theoretical modeling and experimental realization of dynamically magnified thermoacoustic-piezoelectric energy harvesters

Conventional thermoacoustic-piezoelectric (TAP) harvesters convert thermal energy, such as solar or waste heat energy, directly into electrical energy without the need for any moving components. The input thermal energy generates a steep temperature gradient along a porous medium. At a critical threshold of the temperature gradient, self-sustained acoustic waves are developed inside an acoustic resonator. The associated pressure fluctuations impinge on a piezoelectric diaphragm, placed at the end of the resonator. In this study, the TAP harvester is coupled with an auxiliary elastic structure in the form of a simple spring–mass system to amplify the strain experienced by the piezoelectric element. The auxiliary structure is referred to as a dynamic magnifier and has been shown in different areas to significantly amplify the deflection of vibrating structures. A comprehensive model of the dynamically magnified thermoacoustic-piezoelectric (DMTAP) harvester has been developed that includes equations of motions of the system?s mechanical components, the harvested voltage, the mechanical impedance of the coupled structure at the resonator end and the equations necessary to compute the self-excited frequencies of oscillations inside the acoustic resonator. Theoretical results confirmed that significant amplification of the harvested power is feasible if the magnifier?s parameters are properly chosen. The performance characteristics of experimental prototypes of a thermoacoustic-piezoelectric resonator with and without the magnifier are examined. The obtained experimental findings are validated against the theoretical results. Dynamic magnifiers serve as a novel approach to enhance the effectiveness of thermoacoustic energy harvested from waste heat by increasing the efficiency of their harvesting components.     

Harvesting human kinematical energy based on liquid metal magnetohydrodynamics

A flexible human energy harvesting generator - Liquid Metal Magnetohydrodynamics Generator (LMMG) is proposed and fabricated. Conceptual experiments were performed to investigate this electricity harvesting principle. Theoretical analysis predicts that the present method is promising at converting otherwise wasted human kinematical energy via a directional selective generation paradigm. In vitro experiment demonstrates output of 1.4 V/3.61 μW by 5.68 g Ga₆₂In₂₅Sn₁₃ liquid metal with a rather high efficiency of more than 45%. The in vivo experiment actuated by a wrist swing during brisk walking with the plastic valve to rectify the flow, verified the potentiality of unidirectional actuation. This concept based on the flexible movement of LMMG is robust to supply electricity which would be important for future wearable micro/nano devices as a voltage constrained charge provider.     

The dynamic characteristics of harvesting energy from mechanical vibration via piezoelectric conversion

As an alternative power solution for low-power devices, harvesting energy from the ambient mechanical vibration has received increasing research interest in recent years. In this paper we study the transient dynamic characteristics of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system including a piezoelectric energy harvester, a bridge rectifier, and a storage capacitor. To accomplish this, this energy harvesting system is modeled, and the charging process of the storage capacitor is investigated by employing the in-phase assumption The results indicate that the charging voltage across the storage capacitor and the gathered power increase gradually as the charging process proceeds, whereas the charging rate slows down over time as the charging voltage approaches to the peak value of the piezoelectric voltage across the piezoelectric materials. In addition, due to the added electrical damping and the change of the system natural frequency when the charging process is initiated, a sudden drop in the vibration amplitude is observed, which in turn affects the charging rate. However, the vibration amplitude begins to increase as the charging process continues, which is caused by the decrease in the electrical damping （i.e., the decrease in the energy removed from the mechanical vibration）. This electromechanical coupling characteristic is also revealed by the variation of the vibration amplitude with the charging voltage.     

Non-covalent interaction controlled 2D organic semiconductor films: Molecular self-assembly,electronic and optical properties,and electronic devices

The establishment of electronic and opto-electronic products relying on organic semiconductors (OSCs) has been intensely explored over the past few decades due to their great competitiveness in large area, low cost, flexible, wearable and implantable devices. Many of these products already entered our daily lives, such as organic light-emitting diodes-based displays, portable organic solar cells and organic field-effect transistors. The device performance of OSC devices are determined by the supramolecular organization (orientation, morphology) as well as the supramolecular organization dependent energy level alignment at various interfaces (organic/electrode, organic/dielectric, organic/organic). This review focuses on the impact of non-covalent interaction on the molecular self-assembly of organic thin films, their electronic and optical properties, as well as the device performance. Beginning with the growth of multiple OSCs on substrates with different interfacial interaction strengths (metals, insulators, semiconductors), the critical roles of molecule-substrate and intermolecular interactions in determining the thin film organization have been demonstrated. Several non-covalent interactions that contribute to the energy levels of organic materials in solid phase are summarized, mainly including the induction contributions, electrostatic interactions, band dispersions and interface dipoles. The excitonic coupling in specific aggregations of organic molecules and the corresponded effect on their optical properties are also discussed. Finally, the influences of weak intermolecular interactions on the device performance are presented.     

A flexible piezoelectric-triboelectric hybrid nanogenerator in one structure with dual doping enhancement effects

For achieving more effective mechanical energy conversion, based on low-cost and flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer film as triboelectric and piezoelectric function layer respectively, a polymer-based hybrid piezoelectric-triboelectric nanogenerator (PT-NG) with a structure of Al/PVDF/Cu-PDMS/indium tin oxide (ITO)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been demonstrated. The device has realized the simultaneous triboelectric and piezoelectric conversions in one structure. In addition, when PDMS and PVDF are further modified by graphene quantum dot (GQD) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles respectively, both triboelectric and piezoelectric outputs of the modified device are greatly enhanced synchronously. The experimental results have indicated that the increase of triboelectric output is due to the improvement of dielectric properties of PDMS film doped with conductive GQDs as well as the enhancement of the effective contact caused by the change of PDMS surface microstructure. While the promotion of piezoelectric output is mainly attributed to the fact that PVDF film after TiO₂ modification induces more polarized β phase with a polarization-free process. Accordingly, the modified device converts mechanical energy into electricity more effectively, which shows a promising prospect in the fields of flexibility display, electronic skin, wearable electronic products and self-powered sensors.     

Electric power generation using vibration of a polyurea piezoelectric thin film

An energy harvesting system is proposed, in which mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy through the piezoelectric effect of a polymer polyurea film on the device. Electrical energy harvesting methods that use piezoelectric elements have been reported by several groups, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is predominantly employed as the piezoelectric material. An energy harvesting device with a polyurea thin film formed through vapor deposition polymerization with 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanete (MDI) and 4,4′-diamino diphenyl ether (ODA). The conversion efficiency from mechanical to electrical energy was calculated using finite elemental analysis (FEA) of the cantilever configuration. Higher conversion efficiency was obtained using a thinner and shorter cantilever configuration with increased resonance frequency of the device. Experiments were conducted using an electric power generation device with a 3 μm thick polyurea thin film attached to a 0.1-mm-thick, 18-mm-long beryllium copper cantilever. Vibration in the vertical direction, which induces the bending vibration on the cantilever, was applied to the device and the output voltage was measured by connecting load resistances. The output power was measured with a change in the load resistance from 10 kΩ to 10 MΩ, and an optimum output was obtained at 1 MΩ, which corresponds to the value calculated using FEA. The conversion efficiency was improved by changing the cantilever length and an efficiency of 0.233% was obtained with a 4-mm-long cantilever.