A review on piezoelectric fibers and nanowires for energy harvesting

Recent advances in self-powered electronic devices have urged the development of energy-harvesting technology. Batteries are gradually unable to satisfy the practical requirements for powering the different types of microelectronic devices owing to their drawbacks such as occupying a significant percentage and weight of portable products, the need to replace or recharge them, constructing an important environmental impact, and the probable seepage of electrolyte solutions. Various technologies for converting renewable energies into electricity have been reported. Particularly, energy harvesters based on piezoelectricity to convert mechanical energy into usable electricity have received considerable attention. Electrospun fibers from piezoelectric polymers and inorganic nanowires as emerging piezoelectric materials have shown great potential for energy-harvesting applications. This review paper summarizes energy-harvesting technology based on piezoelectric polymeric fibers, inorganic piezoelectric fibers, and inorganic nanowires. A comprehensive overview of fundamentals of piezoelectric effect, types of piezoelectric materials, energy harvesting from fibers, energy harvesting from inorganic nanowires, and energy harvesting from polymeric/inorganic fibers and nanowires composites are discussed.