IPMC as a mechanoelectric energy harvester: tailored properties

Due to their inherited mechanoelectric transduction capability, long-life, and effective operation in both air and water, ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are considered for energy harvesting applications. The reported research aims to study different parameters in the mechanical domain (stiffness and scalability) and the electrical domain (impedance and interfacial area) that seem to have profound effects on battery charging, with the aid of an electromechanical transducer model (Tiwari et al 2008 Smart Struct. Syst. 4 549-3). Experiments performed to confirm the model predictions are also reported. The research demonstrates the applicability of IPMC as an energy harvester in lower frequency regions (<50 Hz) with an average efficiency of around 2% or less. The instantaneous power output from 10 mm (width) x 50 mm (length) x 0.2 mm (thickness) was measured to be approximately 4 mu W (20 W m(-3)).