Environment-Adaptable Rotational Energy Harvesters Based on Nylon-core Coiled Carbon Nanotube Yarns

Owing to increasing amount of research on energy harvesting, studies on harvesters for practical application and their performance are attracting attention. Therefore, studies on the use of continuous energy as an energy source for energy-harvesting devices are being conducted, and fluid flows, e.g., wind, river flow, and sea wave, are widely used as input energy sources for continuous energy harvesting. A new energy-harvesting technology has emerged based on the mechanical stretch and release of coiled carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns, which generate energy based on the change in the electrochemical double-layer capacitance. First, this CNT yarn-based mechanical energy harvester is demonstrated, which is applicable to various environments where fluid flow exists. This environment-adaptable harvester uses rotational energy as the mechanical energy source and is tested in river and ocean environments. Moreover, an attachable-type harvester for the application of the existing rotational system is devised. In the case of a slow rotational environment, a square-wave strain-applying harvester has been implemented, which can convert sinusoidal strain motion into square-wave strain motion for high output voltages. To achieve high performance of practical harvesting applications, a scale-up method for powering signal-transmitting devices has been implemented.

Automated summary

With an increasing focus on energy harvesting, studies on practical application and performance of energy harvesters are becoming more prevalent. Researchers are exploring the use of continuous energy sources, such as wind, river flow, and sea waves, for energy-harvesting devices. A new technology based on coiled carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns has emerged, which generates energy through mechanical stretch and release. This technology has been demonstrated in a variety of fluid flow environments and tested in river and ocean settings.