Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting using Single Crystal Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O 3-xPbTiO3 (PMN-PT) Device

Abstract

We present the analytical and experimental studies of a piezoelectric energy harvesting device that can be used as a standalone energy source for powering microsensors and electronics. Single crystal piezoelectric Pb(Mg_1/3 Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) with large electromechanical coupling coefficient was employed for device design and fabrication in this study. An analytical model for estimating the power-harvesting performance was derived for a cantilever-mounted aluminum alloy plate with a PMN-PT device bonded near the clamped end and a proof mass at the other end. Considering the plate was subjected to both a steady-state sinusoidal vibration and a pulse impact excitation, static, and dynamic analyses were performed for device structure to achieve efficient energy harvesting. In the static analysis, the effect of geometrical dimension of piezoelectric device on the energy harvesting performance has been discussed. In the dynamic analysis, transient response of the device subjected to a pulse impact excitation was studied using a single degree of freedom system model. The resonance characteristics and the power generation capability of the device were discussed. Based on the analytical results, a cantilever device was fabricated and evaluated with sinusoidal excitation and impact excitation. The results are applicable for the structural design of piezoelectric energy harvesting devices.

Keywords

energy harvesting piezoelectric piezoelectric single crystal.

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