Comparative study on the thickness dependent output energy for (Bi,Sc)O3-(pb,Ti)O3 multilayered structure

Multilayered (Bi,Sc)O-3-(Pb,Ti)O-3 piezoelectric ceramic harvesters with the same volume size and with different numbers of layers were prepared as energy harvesters to maximize the generated output energy. Multilayered (Bi,Sc)O-3-(Pb,Ti)O-3 piezoelectric ceramic harvesters were also prepared with the same volume size with different layer thicknesses to extract and compare the acquired energy from the harvesters. Four different types of multilayered piezoelectric ceramic harvesters were prepared and analyzed in this experiment: 24 layers of 0.5 mm thick layered actuators, 12 layers of 1 mm thick layered actuators, 6 layers of 2 mm thick layered actuators, and 4 layers of 3 mm thick layered actuators. The generated output energy was measured through the 100 k Omega resistors. By measuring the output energy of the multilayered (Bi,Sc)O-3-(Pb,Ti)O-3 piezoelectric ceramic harvesters, the maximum output energy per volume of 12 layers with 1 mm thickness was 8.01 x 10(-6) J/mm(3). From an investigation of the maximum output energy of the energy harvester due to the high piezoelectric coefficient, Curie temperature, and high output energy, it was determined that multilayered (Bi,Sc)O-3-(Pb,Ti)O-3 piezoelectric ceramic harvesters are the best candidate for energy harvester applications.