In this study, a cylindrical near-field electrospining (CNFES) process will be used to fabricate permanent piezoelectricity of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric fibers, and a piezoelectric fiber harvesting device with parallel electrode was fabricated to capture ambient energy. First, the PVDF powder was mixed in acetone solution uniformly and the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was mixed with fluorosurfactant to prepare PVDF macromolecular solution. The PVDF macromolecular solution was filled in a metals needle injector and contacted a high power supply, after the PVDF drops in the needle was subjected to high electric field, the drops became a Taylor cone and overcame surface tension of the solution itself, extremely fine PVDF fiber was formed and jetted out. The fibers were collected numerous and quickly by homemade cylindrical collector and the diameter of fiber could be controlled easily by adjusting the rotating speed of the cylinder and the electric field. From the observation of XRD (X-ray diffraction), it reveals a high diffraction peak at 2£c=20.7¢X of piezoelectric crystal £]-phase structure by adjusting PVDF concentrations and DC voltage. By providing 7Hz shake and 0.23% strain, the piezoelectric fiber harvesting device with parallel electrode could generate 76mV; by providing 7Hz shake and 0.14% strain, the device could generate 1.1nA.

Oxide nanowire arrays are playing an important role in energy sciences nowadays, including energy harvesting, energy storage, and power management. By utilizing a wet chemical growth method, we demonstrated the capabilities of synthesizing density controlled vertical ZnO nanowire arrays on a general substrate, optimizing the aspect ratio of the vertical ZnO nanowire arrays guided by a statistical method, epitaxially growing patterned vertical ZnO nanowire arrays on inorganic substrates, epitaxially growing patterned horizontal ZnO nanowire arrays on non-polar ZnO substrates, and the lift-off of the horizontal ZnO nanowire arrays onto general flexible substrates. In addition, single crystalline PbZrxTi1-xO3 (PZT) nanowire arrays were epitaxially grown on conductive and nonconductive substrates by hydrothermal decomposition. Beyond that, based on the as-synthesized ZnO nanowire arrays, we demonstrated multilayered three dimensionally integrated direct current and alternating current nanogenerators. By integrating a ZnO nanowire based nanogenerator with a ZnO nanowire based nanosensor, we demonstrated solely ZnO nanowire based self-powered nanosystems. Also, utilizing a commercial full-wave bridge rectifier, we rectified the alternating output charges of the nanogenerator based on PZT nanowire arrays, and the rectified charges were stored into capacitors, which were later discharged to light up a laser diode (LD). In addition, blue/near-ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LED) composed of ordered ZnO nanowire arrays on p-GaN wafers were presented.

While high power buck-boost regulators have been extensively researched and developed in the academia and industry, low power counterparts have only recently gained momentum due to the advent of different battery powered and remote electronics. The application life-time of such applications, e.g., remote surveillance electronics can be extended tremendously by enabling energy autonomy. While battery powered electronics last long but they must be replenished once the battery is depleted either by replacing the battery or by retrieving the electronics and then recharging. Instead, energy harvesting from available ambient sources on the spot will enable these electronics continuous operation unboundedly, probably even beyond the lifetime of the electronics. Interestingly enough, recent advancements in micro-scale energy transducers compliment these demand [1-13]. Micro-transducers producing energy from different ambient sources have been reported. These transducers produce enough energy to support a wide range of operations of the remote electronics concurrently. These transducers along with an additional storage elements greatly increase the energy autonomy as well as guaranteed operation since harvested energy can then be stored for future use when harvestable energy is temporarily unavailable. Recently several buck-boost regulators with low power and low input operating voltage have been reported both from academia and industry [14-24]. Some of this work focuses on increasing efficiency in the mid-load range (10mA-100mA), while some other focuses on lowering input range. However, so far no one has reported a buck-boost regulator operating with sub-200nW bias power while harvesting energy from sub-500mV input range. This work focuses on the development of a low voltage low bias current buckboost regulator to attain these goals. In this work, complete design of a PFM mode buck-boost regulator has been discussed in details. Basic topology of the regulator and working principle of the implemented architecture along with the advantages of the specific topology over that of the others have been discussed in short to provide an uninterrupted flow of idea. Later, Transistor level design of the basic building blocks of the buck-boost regulator is discussed in details with different design features and how those are attained through transistor level implementation are discussed. Subsequently, the physical layout design technique and considerations are discussed to inform the reader about the importance of the layout process and to avoid pitfalls of design failure due to layout quality issues. Measurement results are presented with the fabricated IC. Different characterization profile of the IC have been discussed with measured data and capture oscilloscope waveforms. Load regulation, line regulation, efficiency, start-up from low voltage, regulation with line and load transient events are measured, presented and discussed. Different characteristics of the prototype are compared with prior arts and are presented in a comparison table. Die micrograph is also presented along with the different issue of the IC testing

In this study, we explore ultra-thin insulators of organic and inorganic composition and their potential role as high-speed rectifiers. Typical applications for these structures include IR sensing, chemical detection, high speed logic circuits, and MEMS enhancements. While there are many elements in the functional group required to create a rectifying antenna (rectenna), the primary thrust of this work is on the rectifier element itself. To achieve these research goals, a very good understanding of quantum tunneling was required to model the underlying phenomenon of charge conduction. The development of a multi-variable optimization routine for tunneling prediction was required. MATLAB was selected as the programming language for this application because of its flexibility and relative ease of use for simulation purposes. Modeling of physical processes, control of electromechanical systems, and simulation of ion implantation were also to be undertaken. To advance the process science, a lithographic mask set was made which utilized the information gleaned from the theoretical simulations and initial basic experiments to create a number of diode test structures. This came to include the creation of generations of mask sets--each optimizing various parameters including testability, alignment, contact area, device density, and process ease. Following this work, a complete toolset for the creation of "soft" contact top metals was required and needed to be developed. Ultra-flat substrates were needed to improve device reliability and measurement consistency. The final phase of research included measurement and characterization of the resultant structures. Basic DC electrical characterization of the organic monolayers would be accomplished using metal probes. Statistical studies of reliability and process yield could then easily be carried out. The rectification ratio (ratio of forward over reverse current at a given voltage magnitude) was found to be a reliable indicator of diode performance in the low frequency ranges. This would mean writing additional code in MATLAB to assist in the automatic analysis for the acquired IV curves. Progression to AC / RF measurements of tunneling performance was to be accomplished using relatively low frequencies (below 100 MHz). Finally, the organic films themselves would be studied for consistency, impedance characteristics, incidence of defects, and thickness by a variety of metrology techniques. This project resulted in a number of advances to the state-of-the-art in nanofabrication using organic monolayers. A very detailed review of the state of alkanethiol research was presented and submitted for publication. A single pot technique was developed to softly deposit metal nanoparticles onto a charged surface with a high degree of control. A temporary contact method using pure, sub-cooled gallium liquid metal was used to probe organic monolayers and plot IV curves with better understanding of surface states than before. An inkjet printer solution was devised for top contact printing which involved the development and production of a work-up free insulator ink which is water soluble and printable to resolutions of about 25 um. Localized selective chemical crosslinking was found to reduce printed ink solubility following deposition. Future work will likely include additional exploration of crosslinkable Langmuir-Blodgett films as MIM insulators. Stability and testing will hinge on the fabrication of enclosures or packages for environmental isolation.

An energy harvesting device driven by aeroelastic vibration with self-sustained pitching and heaving using an induction based power take off mechanism has been designed and tested for performance under various operating conditions. From the data collected the results show that the device achieved a maximum power output of 48.3 mW and a maximum efficiency of 2.26% at a dimensionless frequency of 0.143. For all airfoils tested the device was shown to be self-starting above 3 m/s. A qualitative description relating to the performance of the device considering dynamic stall and the flow conditions at optimal dimensionless frequency has been proposed and related to previous work. Performance for angles off the wind up to 22 degrees and was observed to have no reduction in power output due to the change in angle to the wind. The device has shown evidence of having a self-governing capability, tending to decrease its power output for heavy windpspeeds, a thorough examination of this capability is recommended for future work. / Graduate / 0548 / 0544 / opirquet@uvic.ca

The research reported in this thesis is part of a project to develop a remote wireless sensing network for monitoring the health of highway bridges. Remote health monitoring that does not require direct human observation has many advantages in terms of cost and increased productivity. However, bridges that cannot be easily connected to the power grid require alternative means of acquiring power. This thesis describes the design of a wind energy harvester to power a particular component in the sensor network, the wireless router. The work discussed in this thesis provides a review of relevant literature and development of a detailed analytical modeling of wind turbine behavior. The analytical model provides key information on sizing generators and choosing appropriate wind turbine dimensions to provide the required amount of power. The analytical model also distinguishes the performance of vertical and horizontal axis wind turbines. The model is verified through design and testing of a first generation prototype and benchmarking of a commercially available turbine. Based on these results, the design of the next generation wind harvesting system is described. A new methodology to design non-destructive attachment systems is also discussed. / text

The work described in this thesis discusses the design of a solar energy harvesting system to support a structural health monitoring system. The objective was to design a photovoltaic system capable of powering a wireless gateway and cellular modem, a static DC 14W load, while meeting certain functional and energy requirements for deployment on a bridge. A literature review of the application, technologies, components, and latest innovations in solar energy technology was completed. A methodology for designing a system for attaching energy harvesting systems onto bridges while meeting design requirements is presented as a tool for engineers and students. The use of the tool was demonstrated through a study which revealed that the methodology aided in producing concepts that were higher in quality, quantity, and better met design requirements. A PV array performance model was used to determine the proper PV module size, battery bank size, panel orientation, the usefulness of a solar tracker and MPPT charge controller, and whether the use of two separate PV modules with independent geometric orientations provide better performance as compared to a single larger panel. It was found from the study that the optimal PV system design specifications were a 120W Polycrystalline PV panel, a 120 A-hr LiFePO4 battery bank, a 45 degree tilt and 0 degrees solar azimuth angle (south), and an MPPT controller. The results from the analytical model also showed that the maximum energy produced with two independent panels would be at a solar azimuth angle of 0 degrees (south) and tilt angles of 45 and 50 degrees respectively. However, these energy gains were insignificant compared to simply increasing the size of the PV module. This result was verified by physical experiments. The physical embodiment of the solar energy harvester with these characteristics, including the mount to the bridge and the panel, was conceptualized, refined, analyzed for structural integrity, and prototyped. / text

The widespread deployment of wireless sensors in our homes, offices, factories and infrastructure has opened the door for system designers to create novel approaches for powering wireless sensor nodes. In recent years, energy harvesting has emerged as the power supply of choice for embedded system designers, enabling wireless sensors to be used in applications that previously were not feasible with conventional battery-powered designs. This report details the design and development of an energy harvesting wireless sensor from concept to production. Design constraints included the requirement to operate reliably in a wide variety of environments, the use of commercially available components, and a visually appealing form factor. The result is a very power-efficient, solar-powered wireless sensor that measures temperature, voltage, and illumination level at the solar cell and has an ultra slim form factor. / text

<p>Mechanical oscillators form the primary structure of a wide variety of devices including energy harvesters and vibration absorbers, and also have parallel systems in electrical fields for signal processing. In the area of wave propagation, recent study in periodic chains have focused on active tuning methods to control bandgap regions, bands in the frequency response in which no propagating wave modes exist. In energy harvesting, several coupled systems have been proposed to enhance the peak power or bandwidth of a single harvester through arrays or dynamic magnification. Though there are applications in several fields, the work in this dissertation can all fit into the category of coupled non-linear oscillators. In each sub-field, this study demonstrates means to advance state of the art techniques by adding nonlinearity to a coupled system of linear oscillators, or by adding a coupled device to a nonlinear oscillator.</p><p>The first part of this dissertation develops the analytical methods for studying wave propagation in nonlinear systems. A framework for studying rotational systems is presented and used to design an testbed for wave propagation experiments using a chain of axially aligned pendulums. Standard analytical methods are also adapted to allow uncertainty analysis techniques to provide insight into the relative impact of variations in design parameters. Most analytical insight in these systems is derived from a linearlized model and assumes low amplitude oscillations. Additional study on the nonlinear system is performed to analyze the types of deviations from this behavior that would be expected as amplitudes increase and nonlinear effects become more prominent.</p><p>The second part of this dissertation describes and demonstrates the first means of passive control of bandgap regions in a periodic structure. By imposing an asymmetrical bistability to an oscillator in each unit cell, it is analytically shown that each potential well has different wave propagation behaviors. Experimental demonstrations are also provided to confirm the simulated results.</p><p>The final section performs analytical and numerical analysis of a new system design to improve the performance of a nonlinear energy harvester by adding an excited dynamic magnifier. It is shown that this addition results in higher peak power and wider bandwidth than the uncoupled harvester. Unlike standard dynamic magnifiers, this performance does not come at the expense of power efficiency, and unlike harvester arrays, does not require the added cost of multiple energy harvesters.</p> / Dissertation

Computers and their constituent electronics continue to shrink. The same amount of work can be done with increasingly smaller and cheaper components that need less power to function than before. In wireless sensor networks, the energy needed by one sensor node borders the amount that is already present in its immediate surroundings. Equipping the electronics with a micro generator or energy harvester gives the possibility that it can become self-sufficient in energy. In this thesis two kinds of energy harvesters are investigated. One absorbs vibrations and converts them into electricity by means of piezo-electricity. The other converts heat flow through a semiconductor to electricity, utilizing a thermoelectric effect. Principles governing the performance, actual performance of off-the-shelf components and design considerations of the energy harvester have been treated. The thermoelectric micro generator has been measured to output power at 2.7 mW and 20°C with a load of 10 W. The piezoelectric micro generator has been measured to output power at 2.3 mW at 56.1 Hz, with a mechanical trim weight and a load of 565 W. In these conditions the power density of the generators lies between 2-3 W/m2.