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The book provides an overview of current advances in materials and technology research in energy harvesting. It covers smart materials for solar cells, piezoelectric, and thermoelectric applications as well as the design of highly efficient microsystems. The book features contributions from international researchers in both academics and industry in these disciplines.
Energy harvesting is the capture of external energy from various natural sources, which is then stored and used for numerous applications. This research area has been gaining a lot of interest and research momentum in the past decade. This book covers this field from a materials and device perspective, with resulting technologies capable of enabling low-power implantable sensors or large-scale electrical grids.
The book presents contributed chapters on three categories of energy technology: solar or photovoltaic, piezoelectric, and thermoelectric. It examines solar technologies with high efficiency but lower cost than existing silicon-based photovoltaics. It also covers novel piezoelectric technologies, which harness mechanical energy from vibrations and pressure to produce electrical energy, from materials and device design perspectives. In addition, the book explores the ability to harness thermal energy and temperature profiles with thermoelectric materials. Chapters also cover the design, implementation, and components of energy efficient electronics.
