Evaluation of Flexible Transducers for Motion Energy Harvesting

Personal electronic devices such as mobile/cell phones, radios and wireless sensors traditionally depend on energy storage technologies, such as batteries, for operation. By harvesting energy from the local environment, these devices can achieve greater run-times without the need for battery recharging or replacement. Harvesting energy could also achieve a reduction in the weight and volume of the personal devices - as batteries often make up more than half the weight/volume of these devices. Motion energy harvesting is one such approach where energy from mechanical motion can be converted into electrical energy. This can be achieved through the use of flexible piezoelectric transducer materials such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). A problem with these transducer materials it that their behaviour is non-linear due to operating and environmental conditions. Hence, for this reason researchers have found it has been difficult to measure the harvesting performance i.e. mechanical-to-electrical conversion efficiency. At CSIRO we are currently evaluating the performance of flexible transducers for use as motion energy harvesters. Preliminary results suggest an overall energy harvesting conversion efficiency of 0.65% for a flexible transducer material.