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Micromachines
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Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics
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Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 32350

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qiongfeng Shi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
Interests: flexible electronics; energy harvesting; self-powered sensing; human–machine interfaces; MEMS; intelligent systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Huicong Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical and Electric Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: sensors; energy harvesting; piezoelectricity; MEMS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, we have witnessed the revolutionary innovation and flourishing development of the Internet of Things (IoT), which will increase even more with the gradual rollout of the fifth generation (5G) wireless network across the world. Enabled by the ultrahigh-speed data communication capability of 5G, various IoT systems can be envisioned by linking numerous interrelated electronic devices together in an integrated and interconnected network, such as smart factory, unmanned shop, smart home, or wearable body network. Within these complicated and widely distributed systems, energy supply in the IoT era is gradually migrating from the centralized and ordered supply mode towards mobile and in situ supply. Compared to current battery technology, energy harvesting technologies that scavenge available energies from the ambient surroundings show great merits as an energy supply, e.g., extended and unlimited lifetime, high portability, flexible/stretchable compatibility, and the ability to develop sustainability. Recently, different energy harvesting technologies have undergone significant innovation, providing key functionalities in diversified systems such as energy harvesters and self-powered sensors. Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers and review articles that are focused on advanced developments for the design, fabrication, integration, and application of energy harvesting technologies, with particular interests in energy harvesters, nanogenerators, self-powered sensors and systems.

Dr. Qiongfeng Shi
Prof. Huicong Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Energy harvesters
  • Nanogenerators
  • Self-powered sensors
  • Smart electronics
  • Internet of Things

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 161 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue on Energy Harvesters and Self-Powered Sensors for Smart Electronics
by Qiongfeng Shi and Huicong Liu
Micromachines 2021, 12(12), 1455; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12121455 - 26 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1350
Abstract
In recent years, we have witnessed the revolutionary innovation and flourishing advancement of the Internet of things (IoT), which will maintain a strong momentum even more with the gradual rollout of the fifth generation (5G) wireless network and the rapid development of personal [...] Read more.
In recent years, we have witnessed the revolutionary innovation and flourishing advancement of the Internet of things (IoT), which will maintain a strong momentum even more with the gradual rollout of the fifth generation (5G) wireless network and the rapid development of personal healthcare electronics [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

12 pages, 7931 KiB  
Article
A Magnetically Coupled Electromagnetic Energy Harvester with Low Operating Frequency for Human Body Kinetic Energy
by Xiang Li, Jinpeng Meng, Chongqiu Yang, Huirong Zhang, Leian Zhang and Rujun Song
Micromachines 2021, 12(11), 1300; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12111300 - 22 Oct 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3431
Abstract
In this paper, a magnetically coupled electromagnetic energy harvester (MCEEH) is proposed for harvesting human body kinetic energy. The proposed MCEEH mainly consists of a pair of spring-connected magnets, coils, and a free-moving magnet. Specifically, the interaction force between the magnets is repulsive. [...] Read more.
In this paper, a magnetically coupled electromagnetic energy harvester (MCEEH) is proposed for harvesting human body kinetic energy. The proposed MCEEH mainly consists of a pair of spring-connected magnets, coils, and a free-moving magnet. Specifically, the interaction force between the magnets is repulsive. The main feature of this structure is the use of a magnetic-spring structure to weaken the hardening response caused by the repulsive force. The magnetic coupling method enables the energy harvester system to harvest energy efficiently at low frequency. The MCEEH is experimentally investigated for improving energy harvesting efficiency. Under harmonic excitation with an acceleration of 0.5 g, the MCEEH reaches resonance frequency at 8.8 Hz and the maximum output power of the three coils are 5.2 mW, 2.8 mW, and 2.5 mW, respectively. In the case of hand-shaking excitation, the generator can obtain the maximum voltage of 0.6 V under the excitation acceleration of 0.2 g and the excitation frequency of 3.4 Hz. Additionally, a maximum instantaneous power can be obtained of about 26 mW from the human body’s kinetic energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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13 pages, 11103 KiB  
Article
Levitation Characteristics Analysis of a Diamagnetically Stabilized Levitation Structure
by Shuhan Cheng, Xia Li, Yongkun Wang and Yufeng Su
Micromachines 2021, 12(8), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12080982 - 19 Aug 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3344
Abstract
A diamagnetically stabilized levitation structure is composed of a floating magnet, diamagnetic material, and a lifting magnet. The floating magnet is freely levitated between two diamagnetic plates without any external energy input. In this paper, the levitation characteristics of a floating magnet were [...] Read more.
A diamagnetically stabilized levitation structure is composed of a floating magnet, diamagnetic material, and a lifting magnet. The floating magnet is freely levitated between two diamagnetic plates without any external energy input. In this paper, the levitation characteristics of a floating magnet were firstly studied through simulation. Three different levitation states were found by adjusting the gap between the two diamagnetic plates, namely symmetric monostable levitation, bistable levitation, and asymmetric monostable levitation. Then, according to experimental comparison, it was found that the stability of the symmetric monostable levitation system is better than that of the other two. Lastly, the maximum moving space that allows the symmetric monostable levitation state is investigated by Taguchi method. The key factors affecting the maximum gap were determined as the structure parameters of the floating magnet and the thickness of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) sheets. According to the optimal parameters, work performance was obtained by an experiment with an energy harvester based on the diamagnetic levitation structure. The effective value of voltage is 250.69 mV and the power is 86.8 μW. An LED light is successfully lit on when the output voltage is boosted with a Cockcroft–Walton cascade voltage doubler circuit. This work offers an effective method to choose appropriate parameters for a diamagnetically stabilized levitation structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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15 pages, 4683 KiB  
Article
A Magnetic-Coupled Nonlinear Electromagnetic Generator with Both Wideband and High-Power Performance
by Manjuan Huang, Yunfei Li, Xiaowei Feng, Tianyi Tang, Huicong Liu, Tao Chen and Lining Sun
Micromachines 2021, 12(8), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12080912 - 30 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5221
Abstract
This paper proposed a high-performance magnetic-coupled nonlinear electromagnetic generator (MNL-EMG). A high-permeability iron core is incorporated to the coil. The strong coupling between the iron core and the vibrating magnets lead to significantly improved output power and a broadened operating bandwidth. The magnetic [...] Read more.
This paper proposed a high-performance magnetic-coupled nonlinear electromagnetic generator (MNL-EMG). A high-permeability iron core is incorporated to the coil. The strong coupling between the iron core and the vibrating magnets lead to significantly improved output power and a broadened operating bandwidth. The magnetic force of the iron core to the permanent magnets and the magnetic flux density inside the iron core are simulated, and the dimension parameters of the MNL-EMG are optimized. Under acceleration of 1.5 g, the MNL-EMG can maintain high output performance in a wide frequency range of 17~30 Hz, which is 4.3 times wider than that of linear electromagnetic generator (EMG) without an iron core. The maximum output power of MNL-EMG reaches 174 mW under the optimal load of 35 Ω, which is higher than those of most vibration generators with frequency less than 30 Hz. The maximum 360 parallel-connected LEDs were successfully lit by the prototype. Moreover, the prototype has an excellent charging performance such that a 1.2 V, 900 mAh Ni-MH battery was charged from 0.95 V to 0.98 V in 240 s. Both the simulation and experiments verify that the proposed bistable EMG device based on magnetic coupling has advantages of wide operating bandwidth and high output power, which could be sufficient to power micro electronic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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15 pages, 6889 KiB  
Article
Modeling, Validation, and Performance of Two Tandem Cylinder Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters in Water Flow
by Rujun Song, Chengwei Hou, Chongqiu Yang, Xianhai Yang, Qianjian Guo and Xiaobiao Shan
Micromachines 2021, 12(8), 872; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12080872 - 25 Jul 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3129
Abstract
This paper studies a novel enhanced energy-harvesting method to harvest water flow-induced vibration with a tandem arrangement of two piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) in the direction of flowing water, through simulation modeling and experimental validation. A mathematical model is established by two individual-equivalent [...] Read more.
This paper studies a novel enhanced energy-harvesting method to harvest water flow-induced vibration with a tandem arrangement of two piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) in the direction of flowing water, through simulation modeling and experimental validation. A mathematical model is established by two individual-equivalent single-degree-of-freedom models, coupled with the hydrodynamic force obtained by computational fluid dynamics. Through the simulation analysis, the variation rules of vibration frequency, vibration amplitude, power generation and the distribution of flow field are obtained. And experimental tests are performed to verify the numerical calculation. The experimental and simulation results show that the upstream piezoelectric energy harvester (UPEH) is excited by the vortex-induced vibration, and the maximum value of performance is achieved when the UPEH and the vibration are resonant. As the vortex falls off from the UPEH, the downstream piezoelectric energy harvester (DPEH) generates a responsive beat frequency vibration. Energy-harvesting performance of the DPEH is better than that of the UPEH, especially at high speed flows. The maximum output power of the DPEH (371.7 μW) is 2.56 times of that of the UPEH (145.4 μW), at a specific spacing between the UPEN and the DPEH. Thereupon, the total output power of the two tandem piezoelectric energy harvester systems is significantly greater than that of the common single PEH, which provides a good foreground for further exploration of multiple piezoelectric energy harvesters system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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12 pages, 3659 KiB  
Article
Power Density Improvement of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters via a Novel Hybridization Scheme with Electromagnetic Transduction
by Zhongjie Li, Chuanfu Xin, Yan Peng, Min Wang, Jun Luo, Shaorong Xie and Huayan Pu
Micromachines 2021, 12(7), 803; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12070803 - 7 Jul 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2925
Abstract
A novel hybridization scheme is proposed with electromagnetic transduction to improve the power density of piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) in this paper. Based on the basic cantilever piezoelectric energy harvester (BC-PEH) composed of a mass block, a piezoelectric patch, and a cantilever beam, [...] Read more.
A novel hybridization scheme is proposed with electromagnetic transduction to improve the power density of piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) in this paper. Based on the basic cantilever piezoelectric energy harvester (BC-PEH) composed of a mass block, a piezoelectric patch, and a cantilever beam, we replaced the mass block by a magnet array and added a coil array to form the hybrid energy harvester. To enhance the output power of the electromagnetic energy harvester (EMEH), we utilized an alternating magnet array. Then, to compare the power density of the hybrid harvester and BC-PEH, the experiments of output power were conducted. According to the experimental results, the power densities of the hybrid harvester and BC-PEH are, respectively, 3.53 mW/cm3 and 5.14 μW/cm3 under the conditions of 18.6 Hz and 0.3 g. Therefore, the power density of the hybrid harvester is 686 times as high as that of the BC-PEH, which verified the power density improvement of PEH via a hybridization scheme with EMEH. Additionally, the hybrid harvester exhibits better performance for charging capacitors, such as charging a 2.2 mF capacitor to 8 V within 17 s. It is of great significance to further develop self-powered devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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11 pages, 3072 KiB  
Article
Data-Driven Optimization of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters via Pattern Search Algorithm
by Yang Huang, Zhiran Yi, Guosheng Hu and Bin Yang
Micromachines 2021, 12(5), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12050561 - 15 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2540
Abstract
A data-driven optimization strategy based on a generalized pattern search (GPS) algorithm is proposed to automatically optimize piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs). As a direct search method, GPS can iteratively solve the derivative-free optimization problem. Taking the finite element method (FEM) as the solver [...] Read more.
A data-driven optimization strategy based on a generalized pattern search (GPS) algorithm is proposed to automatically optimize piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs). As a direct search method, GPS can iteratively solve the derivative-free optimization problem. Taking the finite element method (FEM) as the solver and the GPS algorithm as the optimizer, the automatic interaction between the solver and optimizer ensures optimization with minimum human efforts, saving designers’ time and performing a more precise exploration in the parameter space to obtain better results. When employing it for the optimization of PEHs, the optimal length and thickness of PZT were 6.0 mm and 4.6 µm, respectively. Compared with reported high-output PEHs, this optimal structure showed an increase of 371% in output power, an improvement by 1000% in normalized power density, and a reduction of 254% in resonant frequency. Furthermore, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was calculated for evaluating the correlation among geometric parameters and output performance such as resonant frequency and output power, which provides a data-based perspective on the design and optimization of PEHs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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14 pages, 3406 KiB  
Article
An Energy Harvester with Temperature Threshold Triggered Cycling Generation for Thermal Event Autonomous Monitoring
by Ruofeng Han, Nianying Wang, Qisheng He, Jiachou Wang and Xinxin Li
Micromachines 2021, 12(4), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12040425 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2622
Abstract
This paper proposes a temperature threshold triggered energy harvester for potential application of heat-event monitoring. The proposed structure comprises an electricity generation cantilever and a bimetallic cantilever that magnetically attract together. When the structure is heated to a pre-set temperature threshold, the heat [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a temperature threshold triggered energy harvester for potential application of heat-event monitoring. The proposed structure comprises an electricity generation cantilever and a bimetallic cantilever that magnetically attract together. When the structure is heated to a pre-set temperature threshold, the heat absorption induced bimetallic effect of the bimetallic cantilever will cause sufficient bending of the generation cantilever to get rid of the magnetic attraction. The action triggers the freed generation cantilever into resonance to piezoelectrically generate electricity, and the heated bimetallic cantilever dissipates heat to the environment. With the heat dissipated, the bimetallic cantilever will be restored to attract with the generation cantilever again and the structure returns to the original state. Under continual heating, the temperature threshold triggered cycle is repeated to intermittently generate electric power. In this paper, the temperature threshold of the harvester is modeled, and the harvester prototype is fabricated and tested. The test results indicate that, with the temperature threshold of 71 °C, the harvesting prototype is tested to generate 1.14 V peak-to-peak voltage and 1.077 μW instantaneous power within one cycle. The thermal harvesting scheme shows application potential in heat event-driven autonomous monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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14 pages, 4451 KiB  
Article
Modeling of a Rope-Driven Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester for Low-Frequency and Wideband Energy Harvesting
by Jinhui Zhang, Maoyu Lin, Wei Zhou, Tao Luo and Lifeng Qin
Micromachines 2021, 12(3), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12030305 - 15 Mar 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2913
Abstract
In this work, a mechanical model of a rope-driven piezoelectric vibration energy harvester (PVEH) for low-frequency and wideband energy harvesting was presented. The rope-driven PVEH consisting of one low-frequency driving beam (LFDB) and one high-frequency generating beam (HFGB) connected with a rope was [...] Read more.
In this work, a mechanical model of a rope-driven piezoelectric vibration energy harvester (PVEH) for low-frequency and wideband energy harvesting was presented. The rope-driven PVEH consisting of one low-frequency driving beam (LFDB) and one high-frequency generating beam (HFGB) connected with a rope was modeled as two mass-spring-damper suspension systems and a massless spring, which can be used to predict the dynamic motion of the LFDB and HFGB. Using this model, the effects of multiple parameters including excitation acceleration, rope margin and rope stiffness in the performance of the PVEH have been investigated systematically by numerical simulation and experiments. The results show a reasonable agreement between the simulation and experimental study, which demonstrates the validity of the proposed model of rope-driven PVEH. It was also found that the performance of the PVEH can be adjusted conveniently by only changing rope margin or stiffness. The dynamic mechanical model of the rope-driven PVEH built in this paper can be used to the further device design or optimization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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14 pages, 39162 KiB  
Article
A Multi-Mode Broadband Vibration Energy Harvester Composed of Symmetrically Distributed U-Shaped Cantilever Beams
by Xiaohua Huang, Cheng Zhang and Keren Dai
Micromachines 2021, 12(2), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12020203 - 16 Feb 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3101
Abstract
Using the piezoelectric effect to harvest energy from surrounding vibrations is a promising alternative solution for powering small electronic devices such as wireless sensors and portable devices. A conventional piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) can only efficiently collect energy within a small range around [...] Read more.
Using the piezoelectric effect to harvest energy from surrounding vibrations is a promising alternative solution for powering small electronic devices such as wireless sensors and portable devices. A conventional piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) can only efficiently collect energy within a small range around the resonance frequency. To realize broadband vibration energy harvesting, the idea of multiple-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) PEH to realize multiple resonant frequencies within a certain range has been recently proposed and some preliminary research has validated its feasibility. Therefore, this paper proposed a multi-DOF wideband PEH based on the frequency interval shortening mechanism to realize five resonance frequencies close enough to each other. The PEH consists of five tip masses, two U-shaped cantilever beams and a straight beam, and tuning of the resonance frequencies is realized by specific parameter design. The electrical characteristics of the PEH are analyzed by simulation and experiment, validating that the PEH can effectively expand the operating bandwidth and collect vibration energy in the low frequency. Experimental results show that the PEH has five low-frequency resonant frequencies, which are 13, 15, 18, 21 and 24 Hz; under the action of 0.5 g acceleration, the maximum output power is 52.2, 49.4, 61.3, 39.2 and 32.1 μW, respectively. In view of the difference between the simulation and the experimental results, this paper conducted an error analysis and revealed that the material parameters and parasitic capacitance are important factors that affect the simulation results. Based on the analysis, the simulation is improved for better agreement with experiments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Harvesters and Self-powered Sensors for Smart Electronics)
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