Energy Harvesting With Functional Materials And Microsystems

For decades, people have searched for ways to harvest energy from natural sources. Lately, a desire to address the issue of global warming and climate change has popularized solar or photovoltaic technology, while piezoelectric technology is being developed to power handheld devices without batteries, and thermoelectric technology is being explored to convert wasted heat, such as in automobile engine combustion, into electricity. Featuring contributions from international researchers in both academics and industry, Energy Harvesting with Functional Materials and Microsystems explains the growing field of energy harvesting from a materials and device perspective, with resulting technologies capable of enabling low-power implantable sensors or a large-scale electrical grid. In addition to the design, implementation, and components of energy-efficient electronics, the book covers current advances in energy-harvesting materials and technology, including: * High-efficiency solar technologies with lower cost than existing silicon-based photovoltaics * Novel piezoelectric technologies utilizing mechanical energy from vibrations and pressure * The ability to harness thermal energy and temperature profiles with thermoelectric materials Whether you're a practicing engineer, academician, graduate student, or entrepreneur looking to invest in energy-harvesting devices, this book is your complete guide to fundamental materials and applied microsystems for energy harvesting. Review: ... provides an excellent overview of recent research advances using materials and systems for energy harvesting. ... begins with a well-written review on the present approaches and circuit designs for energy harvesting, storage, and use. ... There are many examples of functional devices with application data, graphs, and engineering equations to help the reader develop his own energy-harvesting device. ... engineers interested in developing new sensors, communication links, and low-power electronic devices, and students in mechanical, electrical, and materials science, would find this book a great way to learn quickly about energy-harvesting technology and a starting point for developing new ideas. -John J. Shea, Eaton Corporation, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, USA, from IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine, May/June 2015 Featuring contributions from international researchers in both academics and industry, Energy Harvesting with Functional Materials and Microsystems explains the growing field of energy harvesting from a materials and device perspective, with resulting technologies capable of enabling low-power implantable sensors or a large-scale electrical grid. -IEEE Microwave Magazine, June 2014