Innovative Hybrid Energy Harvester Unveiled to Revolutionize Power Generation

Tuesday - January 30 2024, 13:38 UTC - 9 months ago

Scientists at KIST have developed a thermoelectric-piezoelectric hybrid energy harvester that combines heat and vibration to produce over 50% more power than conventional systems. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize power generation and reduce our dependence on traditional sources. The hybrid system has also shown potential in powering medical devices and is supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

In a groundbreaking development, scientists at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) have unveiled a cutting-edge hybrid energy harvester that promises to transform the way we power our devices in challenging environments. Dr. Hyun-Cheol Song and Dr. Sunghoon Hur, from KIST’s Electronic Materials Research Center, have developed a solution that combines heat and vibration to generate over 50 percent more power than conventional systems.

Energy harvesting, a process that converts ambient energy sources into electricity, has gained prominence as a key player in the quest for greener and more efficient technologies. Everyday environments, such as industrial sites and automobiles, are abundant in sources like heat, vibration, light, and electromagnetic waves. Harnessing these energies presents a viable alternative to traditional power sources, especially in areas where battery replacement is impractical.

The KIST research team’s breakthrough lies in their innovative approach to combining two energy harvesting methods – thermoelectric and piezoelectric – to create a hybrid system. Unlike previous attempts that merely combined the effects of separate mechanisms, KIST’s approach focuses on creating a synergistic effect by complementing the shortcomings of each method.

The thermoelectric effect, which converts thermal energy into electricity, has historically suffered from low efficiency. On the other hand, the piezoelectric effect, which transforms mechanical vibration into electrical energy, faces challenges due to high impedance, hindering reliable energy harvesting. To overcome these limitations, the KIST researchers developed a dynamic solution – a thermoelectric-piezoelectric hybrid energy harvester.

The key innovation of this hybrid system involves replacing the traditional static heat sink with a dynamic cantilever, which not only improves heat dissipation but also produces a remarkable 25 percent increase in thermoelectric device output. In addition, a polymer-type piezoelectric device is attached to the cantilever, generating additional power through tensile and compressive deformation as the cantilever vibrates.

This hybrid system has been successfully demonstrated by powering a commercial IoT sensor, with potential applications in real life scenarios. Dr. Sunghoon Hur, who led the research, expressed optimism about the findings’ real-world applications. “This study confirms that the hybrid energy harvesting system can be reliably applied to our real lives,” said Dr. Hur. “We have confirmed its effectiveness in places where heat and vibration exist together, such as automobile engines, and are currently planning to build a system that can be applied to factory facilities or construction machinery engines that are difficult to supply power and diagnose their condition wirelessly.” .

The potential impact of this hybrid energy harvester is vast, with potential applications in powering IoT devices in vehicles and enhancing energy efficiency in factory facilities. The research, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT, has been published in the late-August edition of the renowned energy science journal, ACS Nano.