Energy Harvesting based on Ferroelectrets with Transverse Piezoelectric Effect

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Mario Kupnik; Professor Dr.-Ing. Heinz von Seggern
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 392020380

• Final Report Year: 2022

Final Report Abstract

The main goal of this project is the development of ferroelectrets for their application in 33- and 31-mode energy harvesting. The first energy harvester was designed to work in 33-mode. Hereby, the tubular array ferroelectrets were optimized based on a FEA model. The best results were achieved by using a single tube with wall thickness of 20 μm, which was afterwards used to build the first harvester. An output power up to 300 µW at frequencies around 100 Hz was possible for an input acceleration of 1 g (rms). Since a 31- mode energy harvester based on these tubes was instable, a new structure (paralleltunnel structure) was investigated. The fascinating piezoelectric d31 coefficients reached in addition to the low Young’s modulus of these ferroelectrets allowed the design of a 31-mode energy harvester. By placing the ferroelectret at a distance h and using a proper pre-stress of the film, outstanding output power of more than 1 mW was possible. This demonstrated a significant improvement of air-spaced vibrational energy harvesting with ferroelectrets and greatly exceeds previous performance data for polymer cantilever devices. Towards an eco-friendlier future and following the growing demand for eco-friendly sensor materials, we investigated an alternative material to FEP, which is harmful to the environment when disposed of. Therefore, we investigated Polylactic acid (PLA) as a biodegradable ferroelectret material in three different forms: bulk PLA thin films, cellular films, and as filament for 3D printing. Based on the promising results regarding charge stability and large piezoelectricity of the PLA-based ferroelectrets, it was possible to demonstrate their potential in some applications such as an eco-friendly ultrasonic transducer and a mechanical sensor. Here, small but successful steps will pave the way to new and biodegradable or at least eco-friendlier electronic products.

Publications

• (2019). “Acoustic energy harvesting with irradiated cross-linked polypropylene piezoelectret films”. Physica Scripta, 94(9), 095002
  Xue, Y., Zhao, J., Zhang, X., Sessler, G. M., and Kupnik, M.
  
• (2019, October). “Modeling of piezoelectric coupling coefficients of soft ferroelectrets for energy harvesting”. In 2019 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS) (pp. 2454-2457). IEEE
  Ben Dali, O., Zhukov, S., Chadda, R., Pondrom, P., Zhang, X., Sessler, G., von Seggern, H., and Kupnik, M.
  
• (2020). “Biodegradable cellular polylactic acid ferroelectrets with strong longitudinal and transverse piezoelectricity”. Applied Physics Letters, 117(11), 112901
  Zhukov, S., Ma, X., Seggern, H. V., Sessler, G. M., Dali, O. B., Kupnik, M., and Zhang, X.
  
• (2020). “Cantilever-based ferroelectret energy harvesting”. Applied Physics Letters, 116(24), 243901
  Ben Dali, O., Pondrom, P., Sessler, G. M., Zhukov, S., Von Seggern, H., Zhang, X., and Kupnik, M.
  
• (2020). “Ferroelectret-based flexible transducers: A strategy for acoustic levitation and manipulation of particles”. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 147(5), EL421-EL427
  Xue, Y., Zhang, X., Chadda, R., Sessler, G. M., and Kupnik, M.
  
• (2020). “High performance fluorinated polyethylene propylene ferroelectrets with an airfilled parallel-tunnel structure”. Smart Materials and Structures, 30(1), 015002
  Ma, X., von Seggern, H., Sessler, G. M., Zhukov, S., Ben Dali, O., Kupnik, M., and Zhang, X.
  
• (2020). “Microenergy harvesters based on fluorinated ethylene propylene piezotubes". Advanced Engineering Materials, 22(5), 1901399
  Zhukov, S., von Seggern, H., Zhang, X., Xue, Y., Ben Dali, O., Pondrom, P., Sessler, G., and Kupnik, M.
  
• (2020). „Mechanical energy harvesting with ferroelectrets“. IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine, 36(6), 47-58
  Zhang, X., von Seggern, H., Sessler, G. M., and Kupnik, M.
  
• (2021). Tuneable resonance frequency vibrational energy harvester with electret‐embedded variable capacitor. IET Nanodielectrics, 4(2), 53-62
  Ma, X., Yang, X., von Seggern, H., Dai, Y., He, P., Sessler, G. M., and Zhang, X.
  
• (2021). „Highly Efficient Piezoelectrets through Ultra-Soft Elastomeric Spacers“. Polymers, 13(21), 3751
  von Seggern, H., Zhukov, S., Ben Dali, O., Hartmann, C., Sessler, G. M., and Kupnik, M.
  
• “Biodegradable 3D-printed ferroelectret ultrasonic transducer with large output pressure”. In 2021 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS) (pp. 1-4). IEEE
  Ben Dali, O., Zhukov, S., Rutsch, M., Hartmann, C., Von Seggern, H., Sessler, G. M., and Kupnik, M.
  
• “Biodegradable additive manufactured ferroelectret as mechanical sensor”. In 2021 IEEE Sensors (pp. 1-4). IEEE
  Ben Dali, O., Zhukov, S., Hartman, C., von Seggern, H., Sessler, G. M., and Kupnik, M.
  
• (2022). “Ferroelectret energy harvesting with 3D‐printed air‐spaced cantilever design”. Nano Select, 3(3), 713-722
  Ben Dali, O., von Seggern, H., Sessler, G. M., Pondrom, P., Zhukov, S., Zhang, X., and Kupnik, M.