Temperature-dependent electromagnetic energy harvesting using soft-grade lead zirconate titanate ceramics

Abstract

This investigation focuses on the study of temperature-dependent electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and energy harvesting using soft-grade (SP-5A) piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate ceramics. Four samples with different dimensional ratios (t/d²) of 0.035, 0.038, 0.059, and 0.064 were analyzed, employing EMR as a non-contact measurement technique, alongside the design of an energy harvester circuit. The results demonstrate a temperature-dependent increase in capacitance within the 40 °C to 100 °C temperature range. Samples with varying dimensional ratios showed a rising trend in the EMR voltage waveform. Notably, the EMR voltage increased proportionally with temperature across all samples, peaking at 3.5 V for a sample with a dimension ratio of 0.064 at 100 °C. The dominant frequency was identified at 152.86 kHz for the sample having dimension ratio of 0.064 at 100 °C. The engineered energy harvester circuit successfully captured EMR energy, with a clear increasing trend in energy capture as both dimension ratios and temperatures rose. At peak temperature, the maximum captured EMR energy reached 1.4 µJ, corresponding to a calculated power of 3.1 W. Additional tests evaluated the energy-storing capacity of capacitors ranging from 100 to 470 nF, revealing a positive correlation between increasing capacitor values and the capacity for EMR energy storage. The findings highlight potential applications of the captured EMR energy, including powering wireless sensors, enabling structural health monitoring, and supporting microcontroller-based device power management. This research paves the way for integrating piezoelectric ceramics into self-sustaining, low-power electronic systems.