Flapping and powering characteristics of a flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator at Reynolds number range simulating ocean current

Abstract

For effective ocean energy harvesting, it is necessary to understand the coupled motion of the piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) and ocean currents. Herein, we experimentally investigate power performance of the PENG in the perspective of the fluid–structure interaction considering ocean conditions with the Reynolds number (Re) values ranging from 1 to 141,489. A piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride micromesh was constructed via electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet printing technique to produce the β-phase dominantly that is desirable for powering performance. Water channel was set to generate water flow to vibrate the flexible PENG. By plotting the Re values as a function of nondimensional bending rigidity (KB) and the structure-to-fluid mass ratio (M*), we could find neutral curves dividing the stable and flapping regimes. Analyzing the flow velocities between the vortex and surroundings via a particle image velocimetry, the larger displacement of the PENG in the chaotic flapping regime than that in the flapping regime was attributed to the sharp pressure gradient. By correlating M*, Re, KB, and the PENG performance, we conclude that there is critical KB that generate chaotic flapping motion for effective powering. We believe this study contributes to the establishment of a design methodology for the flexible PENG harvesting of ocean currents.

Fast on–off controlling of electrohydrodynamic printing based on AC oscillation induced voltage

“…produced from the apex of the cone 14,[22][23][24][25] . In the initial stage of applying the pulse voltage, the instability caused by large impulse voltage will lead to intense oscillation of the suspended droplets at the nozzle, and the jet will take away a larger volume of solution, which means the uniformity of droplets may be negatively affected [26][27][28] .…”