Optimal patching locations and orientations for maximum energy harvesting efficiency of ultrathin flexible piezoelectric devices mounted on heart surface

Abstract

Flexible piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) have gained lots of attention in recent years, because of their potential biomechanical applications, such as powering implantable devices. Several in vivo animal experiments have demonstrated that the output power of a flexible PEH varies remarkably with patching orientations and locations, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear yet. Herein, an electromechanical model for a flexible PEH installed on a beating heart is proposed, and a concise relationship between the output power of the device and myocardium strain is established. The results demonstrate that the patching orientations have a significant impact on the output power of the PEH, and the optimal patching orientations for all patching locations are approximately 15–20 degree for PEHs mounted on the left ventricle. The simple theoretical method provided here would be universally effective for choosing the optimal patching locations and orientations of flexible PEHs installed on a nonhomogeneous deformed surface.

Keywords

• Biomechanical energy harvester
• Flexible electronics
• Heart motion
• Myocardial strain