Design and optimization of low-frequency piezoelectric energy harvesters

Portable electronic applications are typically powered by batteries, which have limited lifespan and size constraints. Energy harvesting from the spatial environment is a promising solution to sustainable power supplies for low-power portable devices and sensor networks. Vibration-based energy harvesting has received much attention due to the recent advances in microfabrication of piezoceramic materials. These smart materials can convert mechanical parasitic vibrations to electric charge through the direct piezoelectric effect. The resulting energy can be extracted after using an interface circuit. We propose a novel wideband piezoelectric energy harvester that can be used as a long-term reliable electrical power supply for small electronic devices based on the low-frequency nature of environmental vibrations (e.g., wind, ocean waves). Therefore, the proposed energy harvester in this research has a lot of potential to be commercialized and deployed in inaccessible regions, like offshore and deep marine environments.

Faculty Supervisor:

Lihong Zhang;Mohammad Al Janaideh

Student:

Hamidreza Ehsani Chimeh

Partner:

Springboard Atlantic

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland