Recent Research Trends of Flexible Piezoelectric Nanofibers for Energy Conversion Materials

Abstract

s Wearable electronic devices with batteries must be lightweight, flexible and highly durable. Most importantly, the battery should be able to self-generate to operate the devices without having to be too frequently charged externally. An eco-friendly energy harvesting technology from various sources, such as solar energy, electromagnetic energy and wind energy, has been developed for a self-charging flexible battery. Although the energy harvesting from such sources are often unstable according to the surrounding environment, the energy harvesting from body movements and vibrations has been less affected by the surrounding environment. In this regard, flexible piezoelectric modules are the most attractive solution for this issue, because they convert mechanical energy to electrical energy and harvest energy from the human body motions. Among the various flexible piezoelectric modules, piezoelectric nanofibers have advantages when used as an energy harvester in wearable devices, due to their simple manufacturing process with good applicability to polymers and ceramics. This review focused on diverse flexible piezoelectric nanofibers and discusses their applications as various energy harvesting systems.