Polymer Energy Harvester for Powering Wireless communication Systems. (2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Costache, F.-A.; Schirrmann, C.; Seifert, R.; Bornhorst, K.; Pawlik, B.; Despang, H.-G.; Heinig, A.
• Is Part Of: Procedia engineering. Volume 120(2015)
• Page Start: 333
• Page End: 336
• Publication Date: 2015
• Subjects: Energy harvesting -- Electroactive polymers -- Self-priming circuit -- Wireless transmission; Engineering -- Congresses; Engineering -- Periodicals; Engineering; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 620.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2015.08.628
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1877-7058

Abstract

Abstract: Energy was generated from harvester structures based on various electroactive polymer thin films of different electro-mechanical properties under applied pressure and frequency characteristics specific to human motion. A self-priming energy harvesting circuit was designed and optimized to collect and store this energy. The circuit enables a gradual increase in voltage each time pressure is applied on the harvester and more energy to be stored with each generation cycle. Thus stored energy of up to 10 μW/cm 2 at 10 Hz was successfully used to power a wireless transmitter. The results revealed that, with increasing number of layers in a fluoropolymer harvester system, the time between signal transmissions could be shortened more and more.