Piezoelectric nanogenerator based on flexible PDMS–BiMgFeCeO6 composites for sound detection and biomechanical energy harvesting

Abstract

Piezoelectric nanogenerators are dependent on a piezoelectric material for the conversion of mechanical stress into useful electrical energy. This paves the way for the development of piezoelectric material compositions starting from ceramic oxides, polymers, and organic compounds to design piezoelectric energy harvesters towards energy harvesting and self-powered sensor development. In the present work, we introduce a multiferroic composition, BiMgFeCeO₆ (henceforth referred to as BMFCO), using a high-temperature reaction route. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized samples were systematically investigated, providing insight into their interesting structure–property correlation. The BMFCO particles were further blended with PDMS at different weight percentages (wt%) and converted into flexible composite films. Stability and capacitor charging tests confirm their stable and durable electrical output over a longer period. Biomechanical energy harvesting was performed by attaching the 10 wt% BMFCO–PDMS-based device (hereafter referred to as PENG10) to a computer mouse and for several body movements. Digital signal processing techniques such as wavelet transform and wavelet packet transform were employed to recognize the difference between a comfortable sound level and excessive volume based on the output recorded by a PENG attached to a speaker.