Airfoil-based cantilevered polyvinylidene fluoride layer generator for translating amplified air-flow energy

We introduced an innovative design of a cantilevered piezoelectric generator with airfoil-based structures for harvesting underutilized aeroelastic energy in the pneumatic system. The cantilevered piezoelectric generator is composed of a polyvinylidene fluoride layer and an airfoil baffle. The working mechanism and electric output performance are systematically investigated. By integrating into the pneumatic system, the airfoil-based cantilevered piezoelectric generator has been used for real-time energy storage. In order to improve the energy conversion efficiency of the generator, an air amplifier is added between the pneumatic system and the generator to increase the flow of air which is discharged from the pneumatic system. Compared with no air amplifier, the output voltage of the generator is increased to 3.48 times. The optimal output power can achieve 13.06 μW through the 7 MΩ resistor and under flow of 200 L/min. This work provides a way to improve the energy conversion efficiency of piezoelectric generators and may promote the development of piezoelectric generators in intelligent pneumatic system. This technology can also be extended for harvesting wind energy.