Printed Piezoelectric Transducers for Highly Integrated Motion, Vibration and Magnetic Field Harvesting

Many application fields for energy harvesting require compact devices featuring a high integration density that can be realized with low-cost, high-throughput fabrication methods. We present multiple types of energy harvesters (EH) based on compact printed piezoelectric transducers for energy harvesting of motions, vibrations and magnetic stray fields in home and industrial environments. The EH design is guided by FEM simulations to optimize both conversion efficiency and electrical output characteristics to meet the requirements of low-power IoT electronics.
For smart wearable and healthcare applications, we have previously demonstrated a 2.5 µm thin imperceptible energy harvesting device with integrated, ultraflexible organic diodes for rectification.[1] Most recently, we accomplished a few millimeter thin smart floor piezoelectric harvester that generates up to 6 µJ/step at only 1 mm vertical displacement.[2] For harvesting of machine vibrations under realistic conditions, we demonstrate an energy harvesting system tuned to the main vibration frequency (50 Hz) of an electric vacuum pump. It is capable of harvesting up to 138 mJ per day, which is sufficient to power a wireless sensor node for condition monitoring of the engine.[3] Briefly, we will take a look at the simulation-driven design of weak magnetic stray field (~100 µT) harvesters with in-situ tunable resonance frequency and < 1 mm displacement amplitude. [4] Finally, we will present a fully integrated wireless energy harvesting system for durable self-powered tire pressure monitoring in bicycle tubes.

[1] Petritz, A. et al. Imperceptible energy harvesting device and biomedical sensor based on ultraflexible ferroelectric transducers and organic diodes. Nat. Commun. 12, 2399 (2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22663-6
[2] Rueda, A. A. et al. Optimization and realization of a space limited sens-PEH for smart floor applications. Nano Energy 109248 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.109248
[3] Rueda, A. A. et al. Vibration Energy Harvesting with Printed P(VDF:TrFE) Transducers to Power Condition Monitoring Sensors for Industrial and Manufacturing Equipment. Adv. Eng. Mater. 2024, 2302140
[4] J. Groten et al., Multilayer screen-printed P(VDF-TrFE) energy harvester for durable self-powered tire pressure monitoring in bicycle tube, Flexible and Printed Electronics (under review)