Journal ArticleDOI
Microfibre–nanowire hybrid structure for energy scavenging
TLDR
This work establishes a methodology for scavenging light-wind energy and body-movement energy using fabrics and presents a simple, low-cost approach that converts low-frequency vibration/friction energy into electricity using piezoelectric zinc oxide nanowires grown radially around textile fibres.Abstract:
Nanodevices don't use much energy, and if the little they do need can be scavenged from vibrations associated with foot steps, heart beats, noises and air flow, a whole range of applications in personal electronics, sensing and defence technologies opens up. Energy gathering of that type requires a technology that works at low frequency range (below 10 Hz), ideally based on soft, flexible materials. A group working at Georgia Institute of Technology has now come up with a system that converts low-frequency vibration/friction energy into electricity using piezoelectric zinc oxide nanowires grown radially around textile fibres. By entangling two fibres and brushing their associated nanowires together, mechanical energy is converted into electricity via a coupled piezoelectric-semiconductor process. This work shows a potential method for creating fabrics which scavenge energy from light winds and body movement. A self-powering nanosystem that harvests its operating energy from the environment is an attractive proposition for sensing, personal electronics and defence technologies1. This is in principle feasible for nanodevices owing to their extremely low power consumption2,3,4,5. Solar, thermal and mechanical (wind, friction, body movement) energies are common and may be scavenged from the environment, but the type of energy source to be chosen has to be decided on the basis of specific applications. Military sensing/surveillance node placement, for example, may involve difficult-to-reach locations, may need to be hidden, and may be in environments that are dusty, rainy, dark and/or in deep forest. In a moving vehicle or aeroplane, harvesting energy from a rotating tyre or wind blowing on the body is a possible choice to power wireless devices implanted in the surface of the vehicle. Nanowire nanogenerators built on hard substrates were demonstrated for harvesting local mechanical energy produced by high-frequency ultrasonic waves6,7. To harvest the energy from vibration or disturbance originating from footsteps, heartbeats, ambient noise and air flow, it is important to explore innovative technologies that work at low frequencies (such as <10 Hz) and that are based on flexible soft materials. Here we present a simple, low-cost approach that converts low-frequency vibration/friction energy into electricity using piezoelectric zinc oxide nanowires grown radially around textile fibres. By entangling two fibres and brushing the nanowires rooted on them with respect to each other, mechanical energy is converted into electricity owing to a coupled piezoelectric–semiconductor process8,9. This work establishes a methodology for scavenging light-wind energy and body-movement energy using fabrics.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
ZnO Nanowire Field-Effect Transistors
Paichun Chang,Jia Grace Lu +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide an introductory overview of basic nanowire synthesis and fundamental electrical properties to device characteristics based on field effect transistor configuration for ZnO nanowires.
Journal ArticleDOI
Energy Autonomous Wearable Sensors for Smart Healthcare: A Review
Abhishek Singh Dahiya,Jérôme Thireau,J. Boudaden,Swatchith Lal,Umair Gulzar,Yan Zhang,Thierry Gil,Nadine Azemard,Peter Ramm,Tim Kiessling,Cian O'Murchu,Fredrik Sebelius,Jonas Tilly,Colm Glynn,Shane Geary,Colm O'Dwyer,Kafil M. Razeeb,Alain Lacampagne,Benoit Charlot,Aida Todri-Sanial +19 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present recent developments and state-of-the-art research related to three critical elements that enable an EAWS: wearable sensors, which monitor human body physiological signals and activities, and wearable energy storage device to drive low-power electronics and the software needed for automatic detection of unstable physiological parameters.
Journal ArticleDOI
Two dimensional woven nanogenerator
TL;DR: In this paper, a two dimensional woven nanogenerator (WNG) was developed, which imitates the textile's woven structure and is composed of two kinds of fibers crossing with each other.
Journal ArticleDOI
Polydirectional Microvibration Energy Collection for Self-Powered Multifunctional Systems Based on Hybridized Nanogenerators
Hongmei Yang,Mingming Deng,Qixuan Zeng,Xuemei Zhang,Jie Hu,Qian Tang,Huake Yang,Chenguo Hu,Yi Xi,Zhong Lin Wang +9 more
TL;DR: A highly sensitive self-powered vibration amplitude sensor system based on LabVIEW software is achieved, which can be used as an amplitude detection of bridge, earthquake monitoring etc, and has been successfully applied to the power supply of portable electronic equipments, environmental monitors and self- powered systems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Flexible symmetrical planar supercapacitors based on multi-layered MnO2/Ni/graphite/paper electrodes with high-efficient electrochemical energy storage
TL;DR: In this paper, a flexible symmetrical planar supercapacitors (FSPSCs) were developed by using the multi-layered MnO2/Ni/graphite/paper electrodes that were fabricated by sequentially coating a graphite layer, Ni layer, and MnO 2 layer on ordinary cellulose paper.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Piezoelectric Nanogenerators Based on Zinc Oxide Nanowire Arrays
TL;DR: This approach has the potential of converting mechanical, vibrational, and/or hydraulic energy into electricity for powering nanodevices.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ballistic carbon nanotube field-effect transistors
TL;DR: It is shown that contacting semiconducting single-walled nanotubes by palladium, a noble metal with high work function and good wetting interactions with nanotube, greatly reduces or eliminates the barriers for transport through the valence band of nanot tubes.
Journal ArticleDOI
Coaxial silicon nanowires as solar cells and nanoelectronic power sources
Bozhi Tian,Xiaolin Zheng,Thomas J. Kempa,Ying Fang,Nanfang Yu,Guihua Yu,Jinlin Huang,Charles M. Lieber +7 more
TL;DR: These coaxial silicon nanowire photovoltaic elements provide a new nanoscale test bed for studies of photoinduced energy/charge transport and artificial photosynthesis, and might find general usage as elements for powering ultralow-power electronics and diverse nanosystems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Energy scavenging for mobile and wireless electronics
Joseph A. Paradiso,Thad Starner +1 more
TL;DR: A whirlwind survey of energy harvesting can be found in this article, where the authors present a survey of recent advances in energy harvesting, spanning historic and current developments in sensor networks and mobile devices.
Journal ArticleDOI
Direct-current nanogenerator driven by ultrasonic waves
TL;DR: A nanowire nanogenerator that is driven by an ultrasonic wave to produce continuous direct-current output and offers a potential solution for powering nanodevices and nanosystems.