Search results for " energy harvesting"

Optical Plasmonic Yagi-Uda Nano-Antennas Array for Energy Harvesting Applications

2020

Optical nanoantennas have been of great interest recently due to their ability to support a highly efficient, localized surface plasmon resonance and produce significantly enhanced and highly confined electromagnetic fields. The Yagi-Uda nanoantenna, an optical analogue of the well-established radiofrequency Yagi-Uda antenna, stands out by its efficient unidirectional light emission and enhancement. In this paper, the design of an optical plasmonic Yagi-Uda nanoantenna for energy harvesting application is proposed. The enhancement of the directivity is reached by means of an organization in array. The simulation results, carried out by 3D code CST Studio, show that the proposed nanoantenna …

Piezoelectric energy harvesting from raised crosswalk devices

2015

This paper presents the main characteristics of an experimental energy harvesting device that can be used to recover energy from the vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The use of a piezoelectric bender devices leads to a innovative approach to Henergy Harvesting. The study focuses on the definition and specification of a mechanical configuration able to transfer the vibration from the main box to the piezoelectric transducer. The piezoelectric devices tested is the commonly used monolithic piezoceramic material lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT). The experimental results estimate the efficiency of this device tested and identify the feasibility of their use in real world applications. The results…

A circularly polarized wideband high gain patch antenna for wireless power transfer

2018

This article deals with a microstrip patch antenna working at 868 MHz, suitable for the radio frequency wireless power transfer and energy harvesting applications. The proposed monolithic antenna is compact, lightweight and it is printed on a thick substrate in order to maximize the total gain in the broadside direction. The antenna radiates at 868 MHz with a fractional impedance bandwidth of 5% and it shows a gain of 4.14 dB.

Review of Infrared Nanoantennas for Energy Harvesting

2016

The Sun is the greatest source of energy providing a continuous stream of power; its exploitation has stimulated several approaches and technologies to directly or indirectly achieve renewable energy. New devices, which exploit the thermal radiation created by the Sun, that is transferred in the form of electromagnetic waves into free space, and finally absorbed by the surface of the Earth, are under study. The aim of this contribution is to critically compare advantages and disadvantages of new types of suitable antennas operating at nanometers wavelengths, called nanoantennas, for infrared energy harvesting, focusing on the state of the art and its perspectives.

A mid-IR Plasmonic Graphene Nanorectenna-based Energy Harvester to Power IoT Sensors

2022

In this paper, the design of a graphene arrow- bowtie nanoantenna mid-IR energy-harvester to power IOT wireless sensor is presented. For the first time, a sensitivity analysis of the mid-IR nanoantenna resonant frequencies in terms of different graphene number of sheets and chemical potential (μCP) without substrate and on a two-layer substrate composed of SiO2 and Si, is carried out. The obtained simulation results by 3D CST 2020 are useful to design an efficient infrared nanorectenna, composed of the nanoantenna and a rectifying MIM diode inside the gap. The analysis of the complete energy-harvester (EH), composed of an NxM nanorectenna array, a low-pass filter, and a DC-DC converter, is …

Optical Nanoantennas for Energy Harvesting

2016

In the last decade, the increasing demand for renewable energy has been leading to the development of new devices, which overcome the disadvantages of the traditional photovoltaic conversion and exploit the thermal radiation created by the Sun, that is transferred in the form of electromagnetic waves into free space and finally absorbed by the surface of the Earth [1-2]. These new devices, called nanoantennas, have only recently been considered thanks to the development of electron beam lithography and similar techniques. Nanoantennas operate at nanometers wavelengths and their dimensions range from a few hundred nanometres to a few microns. They exhibit potential advantages in terms of pol…

A Novel Plasmonic Nanoantenna for High Efficiency Energy Harvesting Applications

2020

In this paper, the results of a geometric investigation of plasmonic nanoantennas for energy harvesting applications in terms of field enhancement and available power are presented. Optimum performances are obtained by a particular arrow-shaped bowtie nanoantennas geometry. The novel nanoantenna geometry is here presented. The simulations of the novel nanoantennas made of aluminium, on a three-layers substrate, composed by silicon, silicon oxide, and aluminium, carried out with CST 2018 tool, are reported and compared with the classical bowtie nanoantennas ones. This study can guide both the engineering and the fabrication of plasmonic nanoantennas.

Carbon Nanodots: A Review—From the Current Understanding of the Fundamental Photophysics to the Full Control of the Optical Response

2018

Carbon dots (CDs) are an emerging family of nanosystems displaying a range of fascinating properties. Broadly speaking, they can be described as small, surface-functionalized carbonaceous nanoparticles characterized by an intense and tunable fluorescence, a marked sensitivity to the environment and a range of interesting photochemical properties. CDs are currently the subject of very intense research, motivated by their possible applications in many fields, including bioimaging, solar energy harvesting, nanosensing, light-emitting devices and photocatalyis. This review covers the latest advancements in the field of CDs, with a focus on the fundamental understanding of their key photophysica…

A hybrid storage system for wireless sensor nodes powered with energy harvesting

2019

With the recent development of Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), research and industry have been increasingly focusing on the opportumty of collecting the energy arising from the environment. The Energy Harvesting provides the possibility to supply devices which are placed out of reach or in hazardous spots, e.g. the Wireless Sensor Nodes. Among the different parts belonging to an Energy Harvesting system, the power management network represents a challenging topic. In this paper a Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS) usable for a WSN powered with Energy Harvesting, based on a battery-capacitor integration, is presented. The experimental results concerning the asse…

Innovative systems based on optical nanoantennas for energy harvesting application

The purpose of this study is to outline the main guidelines for the design of arrays of optical rectennas aiming to harvest energy and for the optimization of the power transfer to an external load. In particular, the novelty of this study consists in introducing the concept of the integrated design between the array of optical rectennas and the harvesting circuit able to exploit the available energy. The design of the array represents the crucial point in order to optimize the power transfer between the antenna and the load and can influence the rectenna design. On the other hand, the maximum power transfer to the load has to be obtained under matching conditions between the array and the …