%0 Journal Article
%T Pyroelectric Energy Harvesting: With Thermodynamic-Based Cycles
%A Saber Mohammadi
%A Akram Khodayari
%J Smart Materials Research
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/160956
%X This work deals with energy harvesting from temperature variations using ferroelectric materials as a microgenerator. The previous researches show that direct pyroelectric energy harvesting is not effective, whereas thermodynamic-based cycles give higher energy. Also, at different temperatures some thermodynamic cycles exhibit different behaviours. In this paper pyroelectric energy harvesting using Lenoir and Ericsson thermodynamic cycles has been studied numerically and the two cycles were compared with each other. The material used is the PMN-25£¿PT single crystal that is a very interesting material in the framework of energy harvesting and sensor applications. 1. Introduction Small, portable, and lightweight power generation systems are currently in very high demand in commercial markets, due to a dramatic increase in the use of personal electronics and communication equipments. The simple way to satisfy these demands is to utilize batteries; however, nonrechargeable batteries are becoming useless upon discharging, and rechargeable batteries require portable power generation units to recharge them. Thus, a portable small-scale power generation system that can either replace batteries entirely or recharge them to extend their lifetime is of considerable interest. There are several different classes of small-scale power generators currently being researched. The power generation technique that is investigated in this study is the thermodielectric power generation system, which is somewhat similar to thermoelectric power generation [1]. Some possible ambient energy sources are thermal energy, solar energy, or mechanical energy. Harvesting energy from such renewable sources has stimulated important research efforts over the past years [2¨C5]. Thermal energy is a source available everywhere. Also, electronics advances directed the researchers towards completely autonomous microchips embedding their own energy source. Furthermore, proposing self-powered devices opens new application possibilities for the systems with limited accessibility such as biomedical implants, structure embedded microsensors, or safety monitoring devices. Thermodielectric power generation utilizes the pyroelectric effect to convert heat to useful electricity. Pyroelectricity has been observed in different crystals and ceramics [6]. Materials with high pyroelectric activity or those exhibiting a transition can be used for energy harvesting [7, 8]. The pyroelectric effect may be used for temperature/heat sensors or energy harvesting; on the contrary the electrocaloric effect may be used
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/smr/2012/160956/