Design, analysis, and feedback control of a nonlinear micro-piezoelectric–electrostatic energy harvester

A nonlinear micro-piezoelectric–electrostatic energy harvester is designed and studied using mathematical and computational methods. The system consists of a cantilever beam substrate, a bimorph piezoelectric transducer, a pair of tuning parallel-plate capacitors, and a tip–mass. The governing nonlinear mathematical model of the electro-mechanical system including nonlinear material and quadratic air-damping is derived for the series connection of the piezoelectric layers. The static and modal frequency curves are computed to optimize the operating point, and a parametric study is performed using numerical methods. A bias DC voltage is used to adapt the system to resonate with respect to the frequency of external vibration. Furthermore, to improve the bandwidth and performance of the harvester (and achieve a high level of harvested power without sacrificing the bandwidth), a nonlinear feedback loop is integrated into the design

Design and analysis of vibration energy harvesters based on peak response statistics

Energy harvesting using cantilever piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters excited by Gaussian broadband random base excitation is considered. The optimal design and analysis of energy harvesters under random excitation is normally performed using the mean and standard deviation of a response quantity of interest, such as the voltage. An alternative approach based on the statistics of the peak voltage is developed in this paper. Three extreme response characteristics, namely (a) level crossing, (b) response peaks above certain level, and (c) fractional time spend above a certain level, have been employed. Two cases, namely the harvesting circuit with and without an inductor, have been considered. Exact closed-form expressions have been derived for number of level crossings, statistics of response peaks and fractional time spend above a certain level for the output voltage. It is shown that these quantities can be related to the standard deviation of the voltage and its derivative with respect to time. Direct numerical simulation has been used to validate the analytical expressions. Based on the analytical results, closed-form expressions for optimal system parameters have been proposed. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the applicability of the analytical results

Internal resonance for nonlinear vibration energy harvesting

The transformation of waste vibration energy into low-power electricity has been heavily researched over the last decade to enable self-sustained wireless electronic components. Monostable and bistable nonlinear oscillators have been explored by several research groups in an effort to enhance the frequency bandwidth of operation. Linear two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) configurations as well as the combination of a nonlinear single-DOF harvester with a linear oscillator to constitute a nonlinear 2-DOF harvester have also been explored to develop broadband energy harvesters. In the present work, the concept of nonlinear internal resonance in a continuous frame structure is explored for broadband energy harvesting. The L-shaped beam-mass structure with quadratic nonlinearity was formerly studied in the nonlinear dynamics literature to demonstrate modal energy exchange and the saturation phenomenon when carefully tuned for two-to-one internal resonance. In the current effort, piezoelectric coupling and an electrical load are introduced, and electromechanical equations of the L-shaped energy harvester are employed to explore primary resonance behaviors around the first and the second linear natural frequencies for bandwidth enhancement. Simulations using approximate analytical frequency response equations as well as numerical solutions reveal significant bandwidth enhancement as compared to a typical linear 2-DOF counterpart. Vibration and voltage responses are explored, and the effects of various system parameters on the overall dynamics of the internal resonance-based energy harvesting system are reported

Vibration sensing systems based on poly(Vinylidene fluoride) and microwave-assisted synthesized zno star-like particles with controllable structural and physical properties

This study deals with the effect of zinc oxide (ZnO) star-like filler addition to the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix, and its effect on the structural and physical properties and consequences to the vibration sensing performance. Microwave-assisted synthesis in open vessel setup was optimized for the preparation of the star-like shape of ZnO crystalline particles. The crystalline and star-like structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). Furthermore, the PVDF-based composites were prepared using a spin-coating technique from solution. An investigation of the transformation of the ? crystalline phase to the ? crystalline phase of the neat PVDF matrix and with various filler concentrations was performed using Fourier-Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, which shows an enhanced ?-phase from 44.1% to 66.4% for neat PVDF and PVDF with 10 wt.% of particles, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements and investigation showed enhanced crystallinity and melting enthalpy of the composite systems in comparison to neat PVDF, since ZnO star-like particles act as nucleating agents. The impact of the filler content on the physical properties, such as thermal and dynamic mechanical properties, which are critical for the intended applications, were investigated as well, and showed that fabricated composites exhibit enhanced thermal stability. Because of its dynamic mechanical properties, the composites can still be utilized as flexible sensors. Finally, the vibration sensing capability was systematically investigated, and it was shown that the addition of ZnO star-like filler enhanced the value of the thickness mode d33 piezoelectric constant from 16.3 pC/N to 29.2 pC/N for neat PVDF and PVDF with 10 wt.% of ZnO star-like particles.This article was made possible by NPRP grant no. NPRP-6-282-2-119 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of the Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. Author M.M. and J.O. acknowledge the Czech Science Foundation grant no. 19-17457S for financial support. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic?DKRVO (RP/CPS/2020/003). The authors also acknowledge the Central Laboratory Unit of Qatar University for FTIR, TGA and DSC measurements.Scopu