Powering internet-of-things from ambient energy: a review

Abstract

Internet-of-thing (IoT) is an assembly of devices that collect and share data with other devices and communicate via the internet. This massive network of devices, generates and communicates data and is the key to the value in IoT, allowing access to raw information, gaining insight, and making an intelligent decisions. Today, there are billions of IoT devices such as sensors and actuators deployed. Many of these applications are easy to connect, but those tucked away in hard-to-access spots will need to harvest ambient energy. Therefore, the aim is to create devices that are self-report in real-time. Efforts are underway to install a self-powered unit in IoT devices that can generate sufficient power from environmental conditions such as light, vibration, and heat. In this review paper, we discuss the recent progress made in materials and device development in power- and, storage units, and power management relevant for IoT applications. This review paper will give a comprehensive overview for new researchers entering the field of IoT and a collection of challenges as well as perspectives for people already working in this field.

Bifacial flexible CIGS thin-film solar cells with nonlinearly graded-bandgap photon-absorbing layers

“…The front solar cell in the bifacial solar cell generates an additional 0.157 mW cm −2 power density under rear illumination with c Sun = 1 (which is not possible using a Mo center-contact layer). This power density is high enough for the operation of most internet-of-things (IoT) devices [38].…”

Targeted recovery of metals from thermoelectric generators (TEGs) using chloride brines and ultrasound

“…[4][5][6][7] Interest in TEGs has grown rapidly in recent years in order to harvest energy for IoT devices such as sensors and actuators. 8 TEGs have a simple design, no moving parts, a long lifespan and require low maintenance enabling their application in numerous situations. The most common modules are based of bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ), doped with antimony to produce either a p-type ((Sb 0.8 Bi 0.2 ) 2 -Te 3 ) or n-type (Bi 2 (Te 0.8 Se 0.2 ) 3 ) materials.…”

Post-lithiation: a way to control the ionic conductivity of solid-state thin film electrolyte

“…4 Typical SSB batteries are formed by planar layers consisting of cathode, electrolyte, anode and current collectors. Recently, SSBs have been reported to be composed of thin film materials such as (1) Cathodes: Li 2 CoO 3 (LCO), 5 Li(Ni x Mn y Co z )O 2 (NMC), 6 LiNi 0.5 -Mn 1.5 O 4 (LNMO), 7 and LiFePO 4 (LFP); 8 (2) electrolytes: Li 3Àx-PO 4Ày N 2 (LiPON), 9 Li x La 2/3+y TiO 3Àd (LLTO), 10 Li 1.3 Al 0.3-Ti 1.7 (PO 4 ) 3 (LATP), 11 and Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO); 12,13 (3) anodes: Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO), 14 silicon, 15 and lithium metal. 16,17 The challenges are to find a way to meet the demanding power budgets while achieving the desired battery size, lifetime, charging time and cost.…”