Enhancement of piezoelectric energy harvester power density using natural rubber

Abstract

Development of an energy harvesting system has become crucial due to the advancement of electronic devices. Vibration based Energy Harvesting has received growing attention over the last decade. Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) sheet used as the active material of the energy harvester. However it has limited power density and it is rather brittle. Thus, the purpose of this work is to enhance the PZT energy harvester power density using natural rubber. The natural rubber addition is in the foam of specific latex as Medium Rubber Latex. The PZT was dipped in the latex to form 1 to 4 layers and shaked at acceleration of 0.25g and 1g. It was found that the percent voltage increase was in between 1.4% to 18% at natural frequency of 55 to 60Hz. Also, the power density was increased in between 10.7% to 38%. © 2014 IEEE.