Parametric study on the Vibration based electro active paper energy harvester

Abstract

This paper focuses on the Vibration based electro active paper energy harvester in line with the spirit of green technology. In order to achieve acceptable level of voltage to power pervasive electronics devices and wireless sensors, parametric study on electro-active paper energy harvester is performed as a replacement to widely used piezoelectric materials. Performance of EAPap energy scavenger is investigated by cantilever beam configuration with added proof mass to harvest wideband mechanical energy due to its ability to generate large strain and power density. Cellulose based electro-active paper coated with different metal electrodes, gold, silver and aluminum were tested under harmonic excitation at 5.1 Hz resonant frequency. The average peak to peak voltage Output for different electrodes EAPap beam was measured with pulse analyzer and observed to be in linear relationship with the area of the electrodes. Aluminum electrodes deposited EAPap have produced almost 49-54 percent higher output voltage as compared to gold electrodes EAPap when the area of electrodes varies from 400mm2 to 1200mm2. It is believed that elevated output for aluminum electrode is due to its lowest value of work function. From the experimental results the potential of electro-active paper as a flexible energy harvester is pragmatic and by optimizing the parameters such as electrode area, humidity, Vibration acceleration amplitude and resonant frequency of harvester, more promising results are possible.