Piezoelectric Biomaterials and Devices for Energy Harvesting and Application in Cardiovascular Systems

Nanogenerator (NG) is a promising solution to biomechanical energy harvesting inside human body. So far, many technology innovations have advanced the NG technology toward a broad range of biomedical applications. Among many potential directions, cardiovascular applications possess substantial significance given the wide spread of cardiovascular diseases and high demands of cardiovascular electronic devices. In this talk, I introduce our most recent development of piezoelectric materials and composites that are particularly designed for implantable NG applications for both hearts and blood vessels. First, new ferroelectric composites are presented as a new material used in 3D printing for directly manufacturing of piezoelectric architectures with tunable piezoelectric and mechanical properties. Artificial blood vessels and stents are developed using this new technique that enable in vivo monitoring of blood pressure and early detection of blockage. Materials and devices that enables effective energy harvesting from hearts will also be introduced, showing a promising solution for long-term in vivo operation for powering cardiovascular electronics. Toward the end, other relevant challenges, such as device safety, biocompatibility, and packaging issues will also be discussed, together with additional novel application potentials for NGs for cardiovascular systems.