Harvesting Ambient Vibration Energy over a Wide Frequency Range for Self-Powered Electronics

• Published in: ACS nano 2017-02, Vol.11 (2), p.1728-1735
• Main Authors: Wang, Xiaofeng, Niu, Simiao, Yi, Fang, Yin, Yajiang, Hao, Chenglong, Dai, Keren, Zhang, Yue, You, Zheng, Wang, Zhong Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Direct current; Electronics; Energy harvesting; Energy management; Frequency ranges; Nanostructure; Power management; Vibration
• ISSN: 1936-0851; 1936-086X
• DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b07633

Vibration is one of the most common energy sources in ambient environment. Harvesting vibration energy is a promising route to sustainably drive small electronics. This work introduces an approach to scavenge vibrational energy over a wide frequency range as an exclusive power source for continuous operation of electronics. An elastic multiunit triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is rationally designed to efficiently harvest low-frequency vibration energy, which can provide a maximum instantaneous output power density of 102 W·m–3 at as low as 7 Hz and maintain its stable current outputs from 5 to 25 Hz. A self-charging power unit (SCPU) combining the TENG and a 10 mF supercapacitor gives a continuous direct current (DC) power delivery of 1.14 mW at a power management efficiency of 45.6% at 20 Hz. The performance of the SCPU can be further enhanced by a specially designed power management circuit, with a continuous DC power of 2 mW and power management efficiency of 60% at 7 Hz. Electronics such as a thermometer, hygrometer, and speedometer can be sustainably powered solely by the harvested vibration energy from a machine or riding bicycle. This approach has potential applications in self-powered systems for environment monitoring, machine safety, and transportation.