(K(x),Na(1-x))NbO(3) (KNN) thin films were deposited on (001)SrRuO(3)/(001)Pt/(001)MgO substrates by RF-magnetron sputtering, and their piezoelectric properties were investigated. The x-ray diffraction measurements indicated that the KNN thin films were epitaxially grown with the c-axis orientation in the perovskite tetragonal system. The lattice constant of the c-axis increased with increasing...

Abstract Mechanical waste energy can be used to generate naturally responsive power. Vibration is a frequent type of mechanical source. This work describes the use unimorph, bimorph, and ceramic disc piezoelectric transducers capture vibrational motion fulfil requirements mobile electronic gadgets. The transducer one most widely utilised mechanisms for vibration collecting due its design versat...

This paper presents a review of MEMS based piezoelectric energy harvesting for low frequency and low power applications. An introduction to MEMS and its components along with the concept of energy harvesting is presented. The paper also presents a device configuration of cantilever based basic components of MEMS energy harvesters, i.e. unimorph, bimorph. Results of different designs for MEMS en...

A 2 DOF resonant thorax structure has been designed and fabricated for the MFI project. Miniature piezoelectric PZN-PT unimorph actuators were fabricated and used to drive a four-bar transmission mechanism. The current thorax design utilizes two actuated four-bars and a spherical joint to drive a rigid wing. Rotationally compliant flexure joints have been tested with lifetimes over 10 cycles. W...

A design optimization based on genetic algorithms for increasing power output performance of MEMS piezoelectric cantilevered energy harvesters has been performed. By employing genetic algorithms, the piezoelectric energy scavenging system with optimized shape and lateral geometries of a unimorph cantilever beam and a proof mass is simulated to achieve a power response improvement of ~1.8× in co...

This research seeks to develop a novel branch of materials systems called Distributed Intelligent Materials Systems (DIMS) which incorporate actuation, sensing, electronics and intelligence as inherent parts of the material structure. A microcantilever optical switch is fabricated as a concept demonstrator with Gallium nitride (GaN) as host material. GaN has several material characteristics whi...

An experimental and theoretical electromechanical characterization of beam-like, uniform cross-section, unimorph structures employing single crystal piezoelectrics is presented. The purpose of the research is to understand and compare the actuation capabilities of several piezoelectric materials and substrate configurations so that optimal design choices can be employed in lightweight, low powe...

Abstract: Electromechanical coupling defines the ratio of electrical and mechanical energy exchanged during a flexure cycle of a piezoelectric actuator. This paper presents an analysis of the dynamic electromechanical coupling factor (dynamic EMCF) for cantilever based piezoelectric actuators and provides for the first time explicit expressions for calculation of dynamic EMCF based on arrangeme...