Energy harvesting device based on a metallic glass/PVDF magnetoelectric laminated composite

A flexible and low cost energy harvester device based on the magnetoelectric (ME) effect has been designed using Fe64Co17Si7B12 as amorphous magnetostrictive ribbons and PVDF as the piezoelectric element. Sandwich-type laminated composite of 3 cm long has been fabricated by gluing these ribbons to the PVDF with the Devcon 5 minute epoxy. Good power output and power density of 6.4 μW and 1.5 mW/cm3, respectively, have been obtained through a multiplier circuit. All values have been measured at the magnetomechanical resonance of the laminate. The effect of the length of the ME laminate on the power output has been also studied, exhibiting a decay as the length of the ME laminate does. Nevertheless, good performance of such device has been obtained for a 0.5 cm long device, working already at 337 KHz, within the low radio frequency (LRF) range.

J. Gutiérrez and J.M Barandiarán would like to thank financial support from the Basque Government (ACTIMAT project IE13-380, Etortek program). A. Lasheras wants to thank the Basque Government for his FPI Grant. Technical and human support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU, MICINN, GV/EJ, ESF) is gratefully acknowledged. This work has been supported also by FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Project PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2014 and the project Matepro –Optimizing Materials and Processes”, ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000037”, co-funded by the “Programa Operacional Regional do Norte” (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), under the “Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional” (QREN), through the “Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional” (FEDER). M. Silva, S. Reis and P. Martins thank the FCT for the SFRH/BD/70303/2010, SFRH/BDE/406 51542/2011 and SFRH/BPD/96227/2013 grants respectively.