2021 review

Energy Harvesting and Storage with Soft and Stretchable Materials

[Review of ]. ADVANCED MATERIALS, 33(19).

By: V. Vallem n, Y. Sargolzaeiaval n, M. Ozturk n, Y. Lai* & M. Dickey n

co-author countries: Taiwan, Province of China 🇹🇼 United States of America 🇺🇸
author keywords: energy harvesting; energy storage; soft robotics; stretchable electronics
Source: Web Of Science
Added: February 15, 2021

Abstract This review highlights various modes of converting ambient sources of energy into electricity using soft and stretchable materials. These mechanical properties are useful for emerging classes of stretchable electronics, e‐skins, bio‐integrated wearables, and soft robotics. The ability to harness energy from the environment allows these types of devices to be tetherless, thereby leading to a greater range of motion (in the case of robotics), better compliance (in the case of wearables and e‐skins), and increased application space (in the case of electronics). A variety of energy sources are available including mechanical (vibrations, human motion, wind/fluid motion), electromagnetic (radio frequency (RF), solar), and thermodynamic (chemical or thermal energy). This review briefly summarizes harvesting mechanisms and focuses on the materials’ strategies to render such devices into soft or stretchable embodiments.