About

The new PEG is designed for improved PE features, avoiding dielectric losses and maximizing the energy conversion during mechanical deformation. The PEG comprises the integration of multiple lead-free PE composite fibres with high electromechanical coupling and piezoelectric properties due to the maximum alignment of the PE ceramics inside the polymer hosts during the wet-spinning fabrication method.

Piezoelectric Composite fibres

Advanced lead-free mono-component PiezoElectric (PE) composite fibres will be integrated in a Piezoeletric Generator (PEG) to harvest electrical energy from mechanical vibrations. The enhanced piezoelectric properties and electromechanical coupling of the developed wet-spun PE composite fibres will lead the PEG to operate at high efficiency.

About

Compatible and common p- and n- type thermoplastic/carbon-based TE composites with improved TE characteristics based on great electrical conductivities and Seebeck coefficients will be used to construct the TEG operating at low temperatures, while high performance thermoplastic matrixes will be used for high temperature applications of TEG. In order to enhance the TE properties of the harvester , suitable processing and switching additives combined with carbon-based fillers (such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at low volume fractions in thermoplastic matrices will be used to fabricate both p- and n-type TE composites by melt-mixing methods combined with hot-compressing techniques. These additives will be used to, first, enhance the dispersion of CNT-fillers within the thermoplastic host and, second, to build up an effective charge transport inside the composite leading to optimum values of the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient while holding low thermal conductivity (preserved from the dielectric matrix).

Thermo-Electric composites

Novel high-efficient thermoplastic-based p- and n-type ThermoElectric (TE) composites with enhanced thermoelectric properties will be integrated in the TEG to generate electricity from thermal waste energy ranging from –25 °C to 250 °C. p/n strips will be connected electrically in series by bonding the end of the strips and thermally in parallel by inserting an insulating layer in between the p/n materials. The above described materials structures will be further encapsulated into a high-temperature resin matrix (like PEK) with high-mechanical properties.

About

Thermoelectric (TE) and Piezoelectric (PE) composite materials will be integrated into a hybrid Thermo/Piezo-Electric Generator (TPEG) in a configuration in which, first, the thermal gradient is oriented perpendicular to the connection or p-and n-type TE composite strips and, second, the mechanical deformation of PE composite fibres occurs perpendicular to the fibre axis. This configuration will allow each generator to couple with the respective ambient source for simultaneous electricity generation and operate at the same time without reducing the performance defeating the incompatibility of traditional PE and TE harvesters.

Piezoelectric Composite Fibres

Melt-spun bi-component composite fibres with temperature tolerance up to 250°C will be implemented into a hybrid TPEG for electric energy harvesting out of mechanical deformation with p-and n-type TE composites by their encapsulation into a high temperature resin matrix allowing to operate the TPEG at optimized performance.

Thermo-electric Composites

Flexible P-and n-type TE composite strips will be connected electrically in series by bonding the end of the strips by inserting an insulating layer in between the composite strips and combined with high temperature tolerance bi-component PE composite fibres which will be encapsulated into a high-temperature resin matrix (like PEK) with high-mechanical properties, in order to mechanically support the PE and TE generators and to allow the whole TPEG device to flexibly bend under the dynamic conditions induced by the mechanical vibrations.