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Piezoelectric Materials and Devices for Wind Energy Harvesting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2011

John Lake ,
Jiyuan Luan ,
Zuki Tanaka ,
Bin Liang  and
Bin Chen
John Lake
Affiliation:
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA NASA internship fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, NY
Jiyuan Luan
Affiliation:
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz CA
Zuki Tanaka
Affiliation:
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA NASA internship fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, NY Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz CA
Bin Liang
Affiliation:
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz CA
Bin Chen
Affiliation:
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz CA
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Abstract

We present materials development in fabricating thin film devices for the conversion of wind energy as a sustainable energy source. We demonstrate the feasibility of piezoelectric polymer thin film devices to harvest wind energy in a miniature wind tunnel. Using an example of prototype device based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin film devices, we are able to obtain electrical power from the wind’s energy through the mechanical deformation of PVDF, such as that obtained from the films flapping in the wind. We have obtained a preliminary result of 1 mW power (at 15 mph wind) with a single layer of PVDF of 4 x 2 inches and 50 μm in thickness sandwiched between two thin gold electrode films. Additionally, the fracturing of metallic electrodes over time from the induced strain of this application lead to the significance of examining carbon nanotubes as compliant electrodes offering better mechanical properties while maintaining necessary electrical properties.

Keywords

piezoelectricelectronic materialstorage
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1325: Symposium E – Energy Harvesting—Recent Advances in Materials, Devices and Applications , 2011 , mrss11-1325-e03-23
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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