This article reviews the fundamental behavior of piezoelectric for applications in sensors and energy harvesting technologies. In fact, many devices and applications are evolving day-to-day depending on smart materials technology such as, scanning probe microscope (SPM) and cigarette lighters. Today, vibration based energy harvesting via piezoelectric materials has become one of the most prominent ways to provide a limited energy for self-powered wireless sensor and low power electronics. This review provides an insight that involves mathematical modeling of constitutive equations, lumped parameter model, mechanisms of piezoelectric energy conversion, and operating principle of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system. This article also focuses on the dielectric, piezoelectric, mechanical, and pyroelectric properties of piezoelectric and pyroelectric materials open to use from single crystal such as PMN-PT through ceramics PZT and polymers such as PVDF. Recent important literature is also reviewed along with energy harvesting devices proposed for use in industrial and biomedical applications
