Design of electrical energy harvesting devices utilizing air bubbles sliding along a fluoropolymer immersed in water

Abstract

Recent research has shown that it is possible to utilize contact electrification combined with electrostatic induction to harvest electrical energy from the mechanical motion of air bubbles sliding along a charged solid surface immersed in water. The working principle of these devices is simple, but the design is usually complicated as transduction efficiency depends on a number of interdependent parameters. Here we propose a simple analytical model and demonstrate how it can be used to determine the optimal energy per bubble for a given resistive load. The model allows one to estimate the optimal energy harvested per bubble in terms of polymer thickness, electrode separation and load resistance. It is shown that the model provides a good fit to experimental data. The model may be used as an initial step when designing energy harvesting devices utilizing air bubbles sliding along a solid surface.