Surface effect on nano piezoelectric energy harvester based on flexural mode

In the present work, a nanoscale piezoelectric beam is developed as an energy harvester. The proposed model can convert the flexural vibration energy to the electric energy. Based on the surface effect theory, the nano beam is considered to be a composite structure with a core and two surface layers. The analytical expressions of the model are given, and the numerical calculations are conducted. Results show that the surface effect has important influences on the performances of the energy harvester. The output power is sensitive to the surface elastic constant and surface piezoelectric constant. The coupling effects of the core and surface material constants are examined. The physical dimension of the piezoelectric beam can also affect the power density. This paper presents the possibility of applying the nanoscale piezoelectric beam to the energy harvester. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:936–941, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers