Patterned PVDF/ZnO-MXene piezoelectric energy harvester driven by bee wing-surface deformation

Cyborg insects have shown considerable potential in disaster rescue, environmental monitoring, and hazardous-area exploration, but the power supply of their onboard electrical stimulation systems remains limited by the large mass and short service life of conventional chemical batteries. In this study, we propose a patterned flexible piezoelectric energy harvesting strategy based on bee wing-surface deformation and design a patterned piezoelectric deformation energy harvester (PDEH) capable of conformal integration with the wing surface through kinematic analysis and morphological characterization of bee wings. In addition, a PVDF/ZnO-MXene nanocomposite piezoelectric film with high β -phase content, improved electrical conductivity, and enhanced femtosecond-laser processability was fabricated. The results show that the optimized nanocomposite film delivers an approximately 120% increase in the d 33 coefficient compared with pure PVDF and exhibits superior laser processability. In output tests of the PDEH integrated with bee wings, the fabricated device generated stable outputs of approximately 1.2 V and 186 nA, with a power density of up to 166 μW g −1 , surpassing most of the previously reported insect mechanical energy harvesters. This study provides a new design strategy for insect mechanical energy harvesting and may contribute to the development of auxiliary power modules for future cyborg insect systems.