Estudo da viabilidade da utilização de material piezelétrico em sensores auto-alimentados

Energy harvesting technology using piezoelectric materials has gained a lot of attraction in the last decades. In this context, a potential application consists in the supply of low power device, such as sensors. Energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials consists in the conversion of mechanical energy, present in the ambient in the form of vibrations, into electrical energy. This conversion is possible due to direct piezoelectric effect, where piezoelectric materials produce a distribution of electric charges on their surfaces when subjected to external mechanical loads. This work addresses an experimental investigation of the power harvesting performance of piezoelectric MFC and PZT beams when coupled to different electrical circuits and subjected to harmonic base excitation.