Design and fabrication of a piezoelectric transducer for wind-power generator

This study investigates the feasibility of a high-performance ZnO piezoelectric transducer for wind-power generation applications. The piezoelectric transducer is constructed of a Cu/ZnO/ITO/PET structure. Closely examining the ITO/PET substrate by a nano indenter reveals a low Young's modulus of 6.62 Gpa for specific deflections. The ZnO piezoelectric film of 965 nm is deposited on ITO/PET substrate using a RF magnetron sputtering system at room temperature. A copper layer is attached to the ZnO/ITO/PET structure to construct piezoelectric transducers. Both scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction indicate that, among the favorable characteristic of the ZnO piezoelectric film include a rigid surface structure and a high c-axis preferred orientation. According to cantilever vibration theory, a transducer with a cantilever length of 9.9 mm and vibration area of 1.5 cm2 is designed for natural wind. An appropriate mass loading of 0.57 g on the cantilever is critical for increasing the vibration amplitude and promoting the generated power of a piezoelectric transducer. Finally, an open circuit voltage of 1.87 V for the ZnO piezoelectric transducer at a vibration frequency of 100 Hz is obtained by an oscilloscope. After rectifying and filtering, the output power of the generator exhibits an available benefit of 0.07 μW/cm2 with the load resistance of 5 MΩ.