Polyvinylidene Fluoride Based Flexible Composite Films for Pyroelectric Energy Conversion

Abstract

Energy recycling and energy scavenging technologies are becoming important in newlineaddition to renewable energy sources. Power generation processes are plagued by newlineinefficiencies and reject approximately two-thirds of the primary energy produced as waste newlineheat. Among the waste heat discharged, the low-grade heat in the range of 27 - 230 °C newlineaccounts for a significant portion, which is both ubiquitous and unutilized. However, the newlinerecovery of this waste heat for energy generation is limited due to the low efficiency of newlineenergy harvesting systems working with small temperature differentials. Solid-state energy newlineharvesting approaches, such as thermoelectrics, are generally limited by their relatively low newlinefigure of merit (FoM) for energy conversion below 100 °C. The research is motivated to newlinedevelop potential materials for converting low-grade waste heat for energy conversion. newlineFerroelectric/pyroelectric materials can be the potential material for waste heat energy newlineharvesting. The pyroelectric effect, which can be utilized to harvest thermal energy from newlinetemperature changes is based on a change in spontaneous polarization caused by temperature newlinefluctuations in some anisotropic substances newline