Design and development of laser patterned eco-friendly nanogenerators for energy harvesting applications

Abstract

In Industry 4.0, the miniaturization of electronics and MEMS devices are playing significant role in empowering modern human society. Devices such as intelligent sensors, actuators, and microprocessors have become an integral part of our routine activities [1-3]. The growth rate of devices connected with the human population is depicted in Figure 1.1. In such devices, electrical power is a determining factor in addressing the flexibility and portability of the device. In this regard, there is a remarkable technical challenge to power these devices and perform the required function, viz., sensing, collecting, transmitting/analyzing the data [4,5]. The issue of recharging and replacement of batteries eventually degrades the operational effectiveness of the device. As a result, integrating an energy harvesting device with electronic gadgets can supplement the battery and it will improve the viability for different applications [6]. Different kinds of energies, such as solar energy, heat energy, mechanical energy, wind energy, etc., are ubiquitous [5,7,8]. Mostly these forms of energy are harvested from the environment and converted into useful electrical potential. Among them, solar energy is an enormously available and long-lasting energy source. Also, massive research work has been conducted to develop efficient solar cells. However, it is limited to various environmental factors, like weather, location, and time. As a result, designing and developing unique methods to harvest energy in multiple forms, such as motion, sound waves, and heat, is critical in order to build energy harvesting solutions. The generated energy can be combined with batteries to meet the power demands of sensors and electronic circuits.