Energy Harvesting and Storage for Microsystems

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, renewable energy, energy recycling, energy scavenging and energy storage technologies have been gaining importance for microsystems. Microsystems have become more mainstream owing to the continuously decreasing trend in integrated circuits’ power consumption. Energy harvesting for these microsystems involves scavenging power from a number of different sources in the environment. Electromagnetic, piezoelectric, and electrostatic transduction methods are prominent in this field due to their mature technology, ease of implementation in small form factors, high efficiency and ease of integration with electronics. These are renewable schemes which have minimal environmental impact, a theoretically infinite lifetime as compared to batteries and reduced cost in terms of replacement. Although on one hand it may be possible with energy harvesting to achieve battery-less operation, energy storage is still fundamental for the uninterrupted powering of microsystems. At present, batteries and supercapacitors are popularly investigated and utilized electrochemical energy storage devices for microsystems. Key goals for these technologies have always been to develop more efficient and high-performing energy materials, with a view to achieving higher capacity, lower cost, better safety and lower environmental impact. As an example, sodium-ion batteries have recently been of interest as rechargeable energy conversion and storage solutions because they are energy dense, nonflammable, and low cost, and have abundantly available sources.

Herein, this call invites the submission of original contributions on the exploration of novel and improved energy harvesting methods, high power-handling capabilities of energy storage units, with special attention to active energy materials and assembly processes. The main focus will be on understanding the mechanism of electrochemical charge–discharge performance. Reliability and characterization methods and techniques such as XRD, XPS, FE-SEM with EDAX analysis, TEM, CV, impedance and charge–discharge studies are also welcomed for submission.

Prof. Mahmoud F. Al Ahmad
Guest Editor

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• energy storage
• active materials for energy
• characterization
• reliability
• energy harvesting
• microsystems