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Micromachines
Special Issues
Self-Powered Smart Systems, 2nd Edition
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Self-Powered Smart Systems, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "A：Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2023) | Viewed by 10340

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hulin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Information and Computer, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Interests: energy harvesters; self-powered sensors; thermogalvanic devices
Prof. Dr. Jian He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Science and Technology on Electronic Test and Measurement Laboratory, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China
Interests: energy harvesting; nanogenerators; human-computer interaction
Prof. Dr. Yannan Xie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Organic Electronics and Information Displays, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: triboelectric nanogenerators; self-powered sensors; flexible electronics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Self-powered smart systems have attracted more and more attention due to their great significance for developing the Internet of Things (IoTs) and artificial intelligence (AI). For the sensor network systems consisting of numerous sensors widely distributed at different locations, one key point is that the electric power is indispensable to drive the individual sensor for sustainable and maintenance-free operation. However, the traditional power-supplying routines, including frequently replacing batteries and connecting with the municipal power grid, cannot meet the energy requirement. In addition, the traditional electronics, due to a lack of interactions with the external environment, will be replaced by smart sensors. Undoubtedly, exploring self-powered smart systems is an important direction toward future information technologies.

This Special Issue of Micromachines aims to cover the most recent advances in materials, sensors, and technological systems for constructing diverse self-powered smart electronics and related physicochemical effects such as piezoelectricity, triboelectricity, pyroelectricity and thermoelectricity, as well as potential applications such as wearable electronics and smart electronics.

In this Special Issue, we welcome full papers, communications, and review articles emphasizing the broad scope of the topic.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Hulin Zhang
Prof. Dr. Jian He
Prof. Dr. Yannan Xie
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • self-powered sensors
  • nanogenerators
  • piezoelectricity
  • triboelectricity
  • pyroelectricity
  • thermoelectricity
  • wearable electronics
  • smart electronics

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2080 KiB  
Article
Aqueous-Phase Formation of Two-Dimensional PbI2 Nanoplates for High-Performance Self-Powered Photodetectors
by Muhammad Imran Saleem, Perumalveeramalai Chandrasekar, Attia Batool and Jeong-Hwan Lee
Micromachines 2023, 14(10), 1949; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14101949 - 19 Oct 2023
Viewed by 985
Abstract
The process of the aqueous synthesis of nanomaterials has gained considerable interest due to its ability to eliminate the need for complex organic solvents, which aligns with the principles of green chemistry. Fabricating nanostructures in aqueous solutions has gained recognition for its potential [...] Read more.
The process of the aqueous synthesis of nanomaterials has gained considerable interest due to its ability to eliminate the need for complex organic solvents, which aligns with the principles of green chemistry. Fabricating nanostructures in aqueous solutions has gained recognition for its potential to develop ultrasensitive, low-energy, and ultrafast optoelectronic devices. This study focuses on synthesizing lead iodide (PbI2) nanoplates (NPs) using a water-based solution technique and fabricating a planar photodetector. The planar photodetectors (ITO/PbI2 NPs/Au) demonstrated a remarkable photosensitivity of 3.9 × 103 and photoresponsivity of 0.51 mA/W at a wavelength of 405 nm. Further, we have carried-out analytical calculations for key performance parameters including open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), on-off ratio, responsivity (R), and specific detectivity (D*) at zero applied bias, while photodetector operating in self-powered mode. These values are as follows: Voc = 0.103 V, Isc = 1.93 × 10−8, on-off ratio = 103, R = 4.0 mA/W, and D* = 3.3 × 1011 Jones. Particularly, the asymmetrical output properties of ITO/PbI2 NPs/Au detector provided additional evidence of the effective creation of a Schottky contact. Therefore, the photodetector exhibited a photo-response even at 0 V bias (rise/decay time ~1 s), leading to the realization of self-powered photodetectors. Additionally, the device exhibited a rapid photo-response of 0.23/0.38 s (−5 V) in the visible range. This study expands the scope of aqueous-phase synthesis of PbI2 nanostructures, enabling the large-area fabrication of high-performance photodetectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Powered Smart Systems, 2nd Edition)
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11 pages, 3284 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermal Growth of an Al-Doped α-Ga2O3 Nanorod Array and Its Application in Self-Powered Solar-Blind UV Photodetection Based on a Photoelectrochemical Cell
by Jing-Chun Guo, Guang-Wu Sun, Ming-Ming Fan, Xu-Cheng Fu, Jia-Jia Yao and Yu-Dong Wang
Micromachines 2023, 14(7), 1336; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14071336 - 29 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1133
Abstract
Herein, we successfully fabricated an Al-doped α-Ga2O3 nanorod array on FTO using the hydrothermal and post-annealing processes. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that an Al-doped α-Ga2O3 nanorod array on FTO has [...] Read more.
Herein, we successfully fabricated an Al-doped α-Ga2O3 nanorod array on FTO using the hydrothermal and post-annealing processes. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that an Al-doped α-Ga2O3 nanorod array on FTO has been realized via a much simpler and cheaper way than that based on metal–organic chemical vapor deposition, magnetron sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy, and pulsed laser deposition. And, a self-powered Al-doped α-Ga2O3 nanorod array/FTO photodetector was also realized as a photoanode at 0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell, showing a peak responsivity of 1.46 mA/W at 260 nm. The response speed of the Al-doped device was 0.421 s for rise time, and 0.139 s for decay time under solar-blind UV (260 nm) illumination. Compared with the undoped device, the responsivity of the Al-doped device was ~5.84 times larger, and the response speed was relatively faster. When increasing the biases from 0 V to 1 V, the responsivity, quantum efficiency, and detectivity of the Al-doped device were enhanced from 1.46 mA/W to 2.02 mA/W, from ~0.7% to ~0.96%, and from ~6 × 109 Jones to ~1 × 1010 Jones, respectively, due to the enlarged depletion region. Therefore, Al doping may provide a route to enhance the self-powered photodetection performance of α-Ga2O3 nanorod arrays. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Powered Smart Systems, 2nd Edition)
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11 pages, 1596 KiB  
Article
Self-Powered, Non-Toxic, Recyclable Thermogalvanic Hydrogel Sensor for Temperature Monitoring of Edibles
by Kun Yang, Chenhui Bai, Boyuan Liu, Zhoutong Liu and Xiaojing Cui
Micromachines 2023, 14(7), 1327; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14071327 - 28 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1186
Abstract
Thermogalvanic hydrogel, an environmentally friendly power source, enable the conversion of low-grade thermal energy to electrical energy and powers microelectronic devices in a variety of scenarios without the need for additional batteries. Its toxicity, mechanical fragility and low output performance are a hindrance [...] Read more.
Thermogalvanic hydrogel, an environmentally friendly power source, enable the conversion of low-grade thermal energy to electrical energy and powers microelectronic devices in a variety of scenarios without the need for additional batteries. Its toxicity, mechanical fragility and low output performance are a hindrance to its wide application. Here, we demonstrate thermoelectric gels with safe non-toxic, recyclable, highly transparent and flexible stretchable properties by introducing gelatin as a polymer network and SO3/42− as a redox electric pair. When the temperature difference is 10 K, the gel-based thermogalvanic cell achieves an open-circuit voltage of about 16.2 mV with a maximum short-circuit current of 39 μA. Furthermore, we extended the application of the Gel-SO3/42− gel to monitor the temperature of hot or cold food, enabling self-powered sensing for food temperature detection. This research provides a novel concept for harvesting low-grade thermal energy and achieving safe and harmless self-driven temperature monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Powered Smart Systems, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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31 pages, 7689 KiB  
Review
Low-Grade Thermal Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Sensing Based on Thermogalvanic Hydrogels
by Jiedong Zhang, Chenhui Bai, Zhaosu Wang, Xiao Liu, Xiangyu Li and Xiaojing Cui
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010155 - 7 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3155
Abstract
Thermoelectric cells (TEC) directly convert heat into electricity via the Seebeck effect. Known as one TEC, thermogalvanic hydrogels are promising for harvesting low-grade thermal energy for sustainable energy production. In recent years, research on thermogalvanic hydrogels has increased dramatically due to their capacity [...] Read more.
Thermoelectric cells (TEC) directly convert heat into electricity via the Seebeck effect. Known as one TEC, thermogalvanic hydrogels are promising for harvesting low-grade thermal energy for sustainable energy production. In recent years, research on thermogalvanic hydrogels has increased dramatically due to their capacity to continuously convert heat into electricity with or without consuming the material. Until recently, the commercial viability of thermogalvanic hydrogels was limited by their low power output and the difficulty of packaging. In this review, we summarize the advances in electrode materials, redox pairs, polymer network integration approaches, and applications of thermogalvanic hydrogels. Then, we highlight the key challenges, that is, low-cost preparation, high thermoelectric power, long-time stable operation of thermogalvanic hydrogels, and broader applications in heat harvesting and thermoelectric sensing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Powered Smart Systems, 2nd Edition)
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29 pages, 6998 KiB  
Review
Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Harvesting Diverse Water Kinetic Energy
by Xiaojing Cui, Cecilia Yu, Zhaosu Wang, Dong Wan and Hulin Zhang
Micromachines 2022, 13(8), 1219; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13081219 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3287
Abstract
The water covering the Earth’s surface not only supports life but also contains a tremendous amount of energy. Water energy is the most important and widely used renewable energy source in the environment, and the ability to extract the mechanical energy of water [...] Read more.
The water covering the Earth’s surface not only supports life but also contains a tremendous amount of energy. Water energy is the most important and widely used renewable energy source in the environment, and the ability to extract the mechanical energy of water is of particular interest since moving water is ubiquitous and abundant, from flowing rivers to falling rain drops. In recent years, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been promising for applications in harvesting kinetic energy from water due to their merits of low cost, light weight, simple structure, and abundant choice of materials. Furthermore, TENGs can also be utilized as self-powered active sensors for monitoring water environments, which relies on the output signals of the TENGs caused by the movement and composition of water. Here, TENGs targeting the harvest of different water energy sources have been systematically summarized and analyzed. The TENGs for harvesting different forms of water energy are introduced and divided on the basis of their basic working principles and modes, i.e., in the cases of solid–solid and solid–liquid. A detailed review of recent important progress in TENG-based water energy harvesting is presented. At last, based on recent progresses, the existing challenges and future prospects for TENG-based water energy harvesting are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Powered Smart Systems, 2nd Edition)
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