Bistable energy harvester using easy snap-through performance to increase output power

This paper describes a novel bistable piezoelectric energy harvester that collects kinetic energy from ambient vibrations for a sustainable powering of microelectronics. The host structure is a beam pre deformed into a sinusoidal form, with piezoelectric layers on its upper and lower surfaces. A U-shaped torsion device is integrated into the middle of the beam to facilitate a more efficient break through the potential barrier. The harvester is tested under different conditions by a vibration test system. Experimentally, the peak open-circuit output voltage is 1377 mV (when the pre-deformation height is 10 mm and the mass of the block is 40 g, with a frequency range of 6.4e11.5Hz.). At this point, snap through occurs in the generating beam. As the load resistance of the harvester?s external circuit increases, the output voltage increases sharply and then flattens; the output power first increases and then decreases. At a load of 47 kU the harvester reaches its optimal output state with a maximum average output power is 0.179 mW. ? 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.