Ferroelectric polymer-based piezoelectric nanogenerators for energy harvesting and sensor applications

Harvesting energy from ambient sources in our environment has generated tremendous interest as it offers a fundamental energy solution for small-power applications including, but not limited to, ubiquitous wireless sensor nodes, portable, flexible and wearable electronics, biomedical implants and structural/environmental monitoring devices. As an example, consider that the number of smart devices linking everyday objects via the internet is estimated to grow to 50 billion by the year 2020. Most of these “Internet of Things” devices will be extraordinarily small and in many cases embedded, and will wirelessly provide useful data that will make our lives easier, better and more energy-efficient. The only sustainable way to power them is using ambient energy harvesting that lasts through the lifetime of the product, and hence the need for commercially viable small‑scale energy harvesters that can operate in any environment. In this context, energy harvesting from ambient vibrations is particularly attractive, as these are ubiquitously available and easily accessible, originating from ever-present sources such as the moving parts of devices and machines, fluid flow and even body movements. Nanoscale piezoelectric energy harvesters, also known as nanogenerators2, are capable of converting small-scale vibrations into electrical energy, thus offering a means of superseding batteries that require constant replacing/recharging, and that do not scale easily with size. Nanogenerators can thus pave the way for the realization of the next generation of self-powered electronic devices, with profound implications in disciplines as far-reaching as biomedicine, robotics, smart environmental monitoring and resource management, to name a few. Nano-piezoelectric energy harvesting is an emerging technology and this proposal is designed to tackle the challenge of developing novel materials with enhanced piezoelectric properties that are cheap, environment-friendly, bio-compatible and easily integrated as nanogenerators into electronic devices.