Polymer-Nanoparticle Composite Foams for Energy Harvesting Applications

Author(s):  
Joseph R. Nalbach ◽  
Matthew S. Schwenger ◽  
Zachary M. Koleszar ◽  
Kelly Greiser ◽  
David Ozalas ◽  
...  

Throughout the course of one day, the human body goes through numerous mechanical activities. These activities, while usually not very powerful individually, produce an ample amount of energy collectively. This mechanical energy can be harvested into electrical energy via piezoelectricity. Recent research into piezoelectric nanocomposites has yielded techniques to foam the materials into softer, porous structures more suitable for human comfort. This study focuses on using a host polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and citric acid to create foams. Citric acid, a common industrial chemical blowing agent (CBA), is used in this project due to its capabilities to produce foams with consistent pore sizes and distribution. These foams, coupled with piezoelectric nanoparticles, are fabricated, analyze, and tested. They are mechanically characterized using tensile testing. Electrical characterization is carried out using an integrated mechanical-electrical testing setup. These foams are lighter, softer, and can produce higher electrical output than non-porous counterparts. We believe that these foams have great potential in upcoming piezoelectric technology.

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 729-736
Author(s):  
Jincheng He ◽  
Xing Tan ◽  
Wang Tao ◽  
Xinhai Wu ◽  
Huan He ◽  
...  

It is known that piezoelectric material shunted with external circuits can convert mechanical energy to electrical energy, which is so called piezoelectric shunt damping technology. In this paper, a piezoelectric stacks ring (PSR) is designed for vibration control of beams and rotor systems. A relative simple electromechanical model of an Euler Bernoulli beam supported by two piezoelectric stacks shunted with resonant RL circuits is established. The equation of motion of such simplified system has been derived using Hamilton’s principle. A more realistic FEA model is developed. The numerical analysis is carried out using COMSOL® and the simulation results show a significant reduction of vibration amplitude at the specific natural frequencies. Using finite element method, the influence of circuit parameters on lateral vibration control is discussed. A preliminary experiment of a prototype PSR verifies the PSR’s vibration reduction effect.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1433
Author(s):  
Taoufik Slimani Tlemcani ◽  
Camille Justeau ◽  
Kevin Nadaud ◽  
Daniel Alquier ◽  
Guylaine Poulin-Vittrant

Flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) are very attractive for mechanical energy harvesting due to their high potential for realizing self-powered sensors and low-power electronics. In this paper, a PENG that is based on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) is fabricated on flexible and transparent Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. The ZnO NWs were deposited on two different seed layer structures, i.e., gold (Au)/ZnO and tin-doped indium-oxide (ITO)/ZnO, using hydrothermal synthesis. Along with the structural and morphological analyses of ZnO NWs, the electrical characterization was also investigated for ZnO NWs-based flexible PENGs. In order to evaluate the suitability of the PENG device structure, the electrical output performance was studied. By applying a periodic mechanical force of 3 N, the ZnO NWs-based flexible PENG generated a maximum root mean square (RMS) voltage and average power of 2.7 V and 64 nW, respectively. Moreover, the comparison between the fabricated device performances shows that a higher electrical output can be obtained when ITO/ZnO seed layer structure is adopted. The proposed ZnO NWs-based PENG structure can provide a flexible and cost-effective device for supplying portable electronics.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2-1) ◽  
pp. 433
Author(s):  
K. Sri Vamsi Krishna ◽  
Shiva Prasad ◽  
R. Sabari Vihar ◽  
K. Babitha ◽  
K Veeranjaneyulu ◽  
...  

The main objective of this study is to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of turbine mounted novel wing. The main motive behind this work is to reduce the drag by attaining the positive velocity gradient and generate power by converting the stagnation pressure which also acts as emergency power source. By using the energy source of free stream air, Mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy. The obtained power is presented in terms of voltage generated at various angles of attack with different Reynolds number. Experimental analysis is carried out for NACA4415 airfoil at various angles with respect to free stream ranging from 0deg to 30deg from laminar to turbulent Reynolds number. The results were obtained using the research tunnel at IARE aerodynamic facility center. The aerodynamic advantage of this design in terms of voltage is 9.5 V at 35m/s which can be utilized for the aircraft on board power systems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Jumadi Tangko ◽  
Remigius Tandioga ◽  
Ismail Djufri ◽  
Riza Haardiyanti

Flywheel is a rotating mechanical device, which is generally used on four-wheeled vehicles. Flywheel has a moment of inertia that is able to withstand changes in rotational speed. The energy in flywheel is mechanical energy. This mechanical energy will be converted by generators into electrical energy. At the flywheel-based power plant, tests are carried out in the form of rotation, the generator power of the generator under no load or load conditions, and the time needed for this generator to survive. The results showed that the ability of the flywheel-based power plant in the condition without a backup supply to the motor in the condition of a generator without a load is able to generate power of 860.1 W for 22 seconds, while in a load-bearing generator capable of generating electricity by 708.75 W for 18 seconds 


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-172
Author(s):  
Deepak Anand ◽  
Singh Sambyal ◽  
Rakesh Vaid

The demand for energy is increasing tremendously with modernization of the technology and requires new sources of renewable energy. The triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) are capable of harvesting ambient energy and converting it into electricity with the process of triboelectrification and electrostatic-induction. TENG can convert mechanical energy available in the form of vibrations, rotation, wind and human motions etc., into electrical energy there by developing a great scope for scavenging large scale energy. In this review paper, we have discussed various modes of operation of TENG along with the various factors contributing towards its efficiency and applications in wearable electronics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-55
Author(s):  
Syarif Moh Rofiq Al- Ghony ◽  
Subuh Isnur Haryudo ◽  
Jati Widyo Leksono

The electric motor is a device that serves to transform electrical energy into mechanical energy of motion. In this case the designed control system motor 3 phase by Smartphones through bluetooth network to find out the effective range of extremity. The methods used in the form of data capture of measurement effective range the furthest that can be reached by bluetooth to activate relay SPDT and motor 3 phase. Results of testing the most effective distance of the otomasisasi control system of motor 3 phase maximum as far as 15 meters with a time of pause 0.5 seconds.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1014 ◽  
pp. 124-127
Author(s):  
Zhi Qiang Xu ◽  
Jian Huang

Wind turbines consists of three key parts, namely, wind wheels (including blades, hub, etc.), cabin (including gearboxes, motors, controls, etc.) and the tower and Foundation. Wind turbine wheel is the most important part ,which is made up of blades and hubs. Blade has a good aerodynamic shape, which will produce aerodynamic in the airflow rotation, converting wind energy into mechanical energy, and then, driving the generator into electrical energy by gearbox pace. Wind turbine operates in the natural environment, their load wind turbine blades are more complex. Therefore load calculations and strength analysis for wind turbine design is very important. Wind turbine blades are core components of wind turbines, so understanding of their loads and dynamics by which the load on the wind turbine blade design is of great significance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (18) ◽  
pp. 3572-3581
Author(s):  
Suihan Liu ◽  
Ali Imani Azad ◽  
Rigoberto Burgueño

Piezoelectric energy harvesting from ambient vibrations is well studied, but harvesting from quasi-static responses is not yet fully explored. The lack of attention is because quasi-static actions are much slower than the resonance frequency of piezoelectric oscillators to achieve optimal outputs; however, they can be a common mechanical energy resource: from large civil structure deformations to biomechanical motions. The recent advances in bio-micro-electro-mechanical systems and wireless sensor technologies are motivating the study of piezoelectric energy harvesting from quasi-static conditions for low-power budget devices. This article presents a new approach of using quasi-static deformations to generate electrical power through an axially compressed bilaterally constrained strip with an attached piezoelectric layer. A theoretical model was developed to predict the strain distribution of the strip’s buckled configuration for calculating the electrical energy generation. Results from an experimental investigation and finite element simulations are in good agreement with the theoretical study. Test results from a prototyped device showed that a peak output power of 1.33 μW/cm2 was generated, which can adequately provide power supply for low-power budget devices. And a parametric study was also conducted to provide design guidance on selecting the dimensions of a device based on the external embedding structure.


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