PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMIC FIBER COMPOSITES FOR ENERGY HARVESTING TO POWER ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

摘要

Recent advances in low power electronics have generated tremendous interest and provided new opportunities for the use of piezoelectric materials to power electronic devices without the need for batteries. Advanced Cerametrics (ACI) has refined its ceramic fiber spinning technology to produce piezoelectric fiber composites, which have generated sufficient power to run electronic devices from waste mechanical energy. Piezoelectric fiber composites were designed for maximum energy harvesting efficiency from ambient energy sources. These ceramic fibers are flexible, and in composite form, are very robust. Recent successes include powering a small (11 function) computer for over 100 seconds from 10 seconds of a 25 Hz vibration (no battery). Energy harvesting devices, capable of producing and storing greater than 1 Joule of energy from 15 seconds of vibration will be presented along with ACI's smart sporting goods. Power generation from soft lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5A) piezoelectric fibers in the form of 1-3 and 1-1 composites, under application of an external force was investigated. 13, 45, 120 and 250 micron fibers were made by the Viscous Suspension Spinning Process and then formed into composites after sintering. Power generation experiments were performed and evaluated, with the best results being 400 volts pp and 120 mW of peak power.