Vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric unimorph cantilevers with unequal piezoelectric and nonpiezoelectric lengths

Abstract

We have examined a piezoelectric unimorph cantilever ͑PUC͒ with unequal piezoelectric and nonpiezoelectric lengths for vibration energy harvesting theoretically by extending the analysis of a PUC with equal piezoelectric and nonpiezoelectric lengths. The theoretical approach was validated by experiments. A case study showed that for a fixed vibration frequency, the maximum open-circuit induced voltage which was important for charge storage for later use occurred with a PUC that had a nonpiezoelectric-to-piezoelectric length ratio greater than unity, whereas the maximum power when the PUC was connected to a resistor for immediate power consumption occurred at a unity nonpiezoelectric-to-piezoelectric length ratio.

Energy Harvesting Research: The Road from Single Source to Multisource

“…Apart from the tuning of the material composition, the rest of the piezoelectric energy harvesting research has focused on the structural design and optimization for different applications. The most popular structures used in piezoelectric energy harvesters include cantilever, stack cymbal configuration, diaphragm configuration, and shear mode configuration . The cantilever structure is suitable for low input force, small acceleration, and mid‐high frequencies (tens of Hz or above), but it allows large amplitude/deformation.…”

Low dimensional modeling of a non-uniform, buckled piezoelectric beam for vibrational energy harvesting

“…Piezoelectric systems are an attractive approach to vibrational energy harvesting because of their high power density [1] and ease of construction. Many piezoelectric energy harvesters have been proposed and experimentally demonstrated, utilizing both linear and nonlinear approaches; a few examples can be seen in [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Linear devices typically utilize a beam in a cantilever configuration with a piezoelectric portion that converts mechanical deformation into electrical energy.…”

Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Properties of 0.72Pb(Zr0.47Ti0.53)O3–0.28Pb[(Zn0.45Ni0.55)1/3Nb2/3]O3Thick Films for Energy Harvesting Device Application

“…[10][11][12][13][14] A cantilever structure is generally utilized in such low power devices since it can drive strong strain to be converted into electric energy. [15][16][17][18] A common configuration of the cantilever structure is a cantilever beam with piezoelectric thick or thin films. 19) Therefore, it is important to estimate the piezoelectric properties of high energy density piezoelectric ceramic films in order for energy harvesting device application, which is attributed to a significant correlation between energy conversion efficiency and material design.…”