Author(s): Luqin Hong; Haipeng Wang; Kingjames Idala Egbe; Ali Matin Nazar; Yang Yang; Fang He; Pengcheng Jiao

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Abstract: Here, we develop a novel energy harvesting technique under quasi-static excitations using piezoelectric materials (PENG) enhanced by mechanical metamaterials (MM). The MM are fabricated in the plate shape using the photolithography and atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques, and the piezoelectric layer is grown by the PVDF-TrFE material using the spin-coating technique. A sliding cell is designed to convert low-frequency excitations into high-frequency motions through postbuckling mode transitions of the piezo-MM. As a consequence, the PVDF-TrFE is triggered to generate electrical power. In this process, the environmental input (<1Hz) is transformed into mechanical energy, which is then converted into electrical power. Fabrication and testing of the MM-PENG are conducted at the microscale, and the numerical models are developed to validate the experimental results with satisfactory agreements. The MM-PENG is outlooked for the green energy by generating electrical power for multifunctional applications. The fluctuation of the ocean surface, for example, provides periodically vibrated waves. Increasing the MM-PENG to millimeter-scale and placing in the ocean, the periodic wave can be used as an axial excitation to trigger the energy harvester to generate electrical power.

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Year: 2020