Flexible ceramic-elastomer composite piezoelectric energy harvester fabricated by additive manufacturing. (May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Park, Jae-Il; Lee, Gil-Yong; Yang, Jinkyu; Kim, Chung-Soo; Ahn, Sung-Hoon
• Other Names: Ahn Sung-Hoon guest-editor.; Kim Byung-Sun guest-editor.; Chu Won-Shik guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Journal of composite materials. Volume 50:Number 12(2016)
• Page Start: 1573
• Page End: 1579
• Publication Date: 2016-05
• Subjects: Flexible piezoelectric energy harvesting -- additive manufacturing -- barium titanate -- polyether block amide; Composite materials -- Periodicals; Composites -- Périodiques; 620.118
• DOI: 10.1177/0021998315577685
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9983

Abstract

As a renewable energy harvesting method, interest in piezoelectric energy harvesting has increased significantly. Despite the piezoelectric energy-harvesting technology expanding its area to the flexible (elastic, amendable) devices, striking use or application of the technology is hardly found in the market. Here, we report a novel flexible piezoelectric energy harvester fabricated by using an additive manufacturing process, which enables both effective and customized manufacturing technique. By taking advantages of additive manufacturing, further application of the piezoelectric energy-harvesting technology is highly expected. Particles of BaTiO3, a ceramic with a large piezoelectric constant, were mixed with polyether block amide elastomer to form a flexible piezoelectric composite. The energy harvester was fabricated using an additive manufacturing process, by printing the piezoelectric composite on a laser-patterned flexible Indium-tin-oxide–coated polyethylene terephthalate substrate. Performance of fabricated energy harvester was evaluated by applying a mechanical stress to the energy harvester; voltage and current output were 2 V and 40 nA, respectively. An analytical model of the piezoelectric energy harvester was developed and discussed to explain the form of the voltage waveforms in response to the applied stress.