A novel triboelectric nanogenerator based on electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers for effective acoustic energy harvesting and self-powered multifunctional sensing

This study presents a novel piezoelectric beam structure for acoustic energy harvesting. The beams have been designed to maximize output energy in areas where the noise level is loud such as highway traffic. The beam consists of two layers (copper and polyvinylidene fluoride) that convert the ambient noise’s vibration energy to electrical energy. The piezoelectric material’s optimum placement have been studied, and its best positon is obtained on the substrate for the maximum yield. Unlike previous studies, which the entire beam substrate used to be covered by a material, this study presents a modest material usage and contributes to lowering the harvester’s final production cost. Additionally, in this study, an electrical model was developed for the sensor and a read-out circuitry was proposed for the converter. Moreover, the sensor was validated at different noise levels at various lengths and locations. The simulations were performed in COMSOL Multiphysics® and MATLAB® and report a maximum sound pressure of 140 dB from 100 dB point sources in an enclosed air-filled cubic meter chamber.

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A High-Performance Coniform Helmholtz Resonator-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Acoustic Energy Harvesting

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11123431 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 3431

Author(s):

Haichao Yuan ◽

Hongyong Yu ◽

Xiangyu Liu ◽

Hongfa Zhao ◽

Yiping Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Harvesting ◽

Internet Of Things ◽

High Performance ◽

Helmholtz Resonator ◽

Acoustic Energy ◽

The Internet ◽

Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽

Sensor Devices ◽

Acoustic Energy Harvesting ◽

The Internet Of Things

Harvesting acoustic energy in the environment and converting it into electricity can provide essential ideas for self-powering the widely distributed sensor devices in the age of the Internet of Things. In this study, we propose a low-cost, easily fabricated and high-performance coniform Helmholtz resonator-based Triboelectric Nanogenerator (CHR-TENG) with the purpose of acoustic energy harvesting. Output performances of the CHR-TENG with varied geometrical sizes were systematically investigated under different acoustic energy conditions. Remarkably, the CHR-TENG could achieve a 58.2% higher power density per unit of sound pressure of acoustic energy harvesting compared with the ever-reported best result. In addition, the reported CHR-TENG was demonstrated by charging a 1000 μF capacitor up to 3 V in 165 s, powering a sensor for continuous temperature and humidity monitoring and lighting up as many as five 0.5 W commercial LED bulbs for acoustic energy harvesting. With a collection features of high output performance, lightweight, wide frequency response band and environmental friendliness, the cleverly designed CHR-TENG represents a practicable acoustic energy harvesting approach for powering sensor devices in the age of the Internet of Things.

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