Imperceptible Energy Harvesting Device and Biomedical Sensor based on Ultraflexible Ferroelectric Transducers and Organic Diodes

Abstract

Abstract Energy autonomy and conformability are essential elements in the next generation of wearable and flexible electronics for healthcare, robotics and cyber-physical systems. This study presents ferroelectric polymer transducers and organic diodes for imperceptible sensing and energy harvesting systems, which, for the first time, are integrated on ultrathin (1-µm) substrates, thus imparting them with unprecedented flexibility. Simulations show that the sensitivity of ultraflexible ferroelectric polymer transducers (UFPTs) is enhanced dramatically using an ultrathin substrate, which allows the mounting on 3D-shaped objects and the stacking in multiple layers. Indeed, UFPTs have superior sensitivity to strain and pressure, fast response and excellent mechanical stability, thus forming imperceptible wireless e-health patches for precise pulse and blood pressure monitoring. For harvesting biomechanical energy, UFPTs are combined with rectifiers based on the world’s first ultraflexible organic diodes thus comprising an imperceptible, 2.5 µm thin, energy harvesting device with an excellent peak power density of 3 mW⋅cm − 3 .