Developing a Wearable Multifunctional Composite Component

Abstract:

This paper focuses on the design and development of a low-cost multifunctional composite component integrated into a shoe hill that generates power in the order of milliwats (mW) through piezoceramic (PZT) stacks and stores this harvested energy in a capacitor integrated into the composite. The use of a thin-film lithium battery integrated into the composite is also explored as a means of permanent power storage. PZT bimorph elements are stacked in a cantilever manner. The space in-between and around the elements is being filled with foam, which provides structural support as well as walking comfort. An insole composite with a PZT layer is also developed that is capable of producing 2.2mW of power to give a total power output of 12.2mW for the in-heel insole combination. The experimental results revealed that the use of PZT bimorph elements (d33=110) instead of polyvinylidene difluoride PVDF sheets (d33=20) increased the power generation potential over five folds, which is further compounded by stacking the PZT elements.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volume 683)
• Pages: 116-119
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.683.116
• Online since: April 2013
• Authors: Noaman Makki, Remon Pop-Iliev
• Keywords: Composite, Multifunctionality, Piezoelectricity, Power Harvesting, Power Storage

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