Dielectric elastomer generators for wind energy harvesting

项目简介：风电是一种可再生、分布广泛、储量丰富的清洁能源，但由于安装成本高、环境影响大、叶片式涡轮发电机的间歇性等问题，风能在很大程度上尚未开发。电介质弹性体的最新进展为设计一种新型风力发电机提供了独特的机会，其中有源换能器材料吸收风能并将其直接转化为电能。这些电活性聚合物可以承受大的变形，并存储大量的弹性能量，当变形的聚合物松弛时，这些弹性能量被转换成电能。提出的研究目的是研究与介电弹性体薄膜的大变形和相应的发电有关的空气动力学。pi将1)模拟并实验分析介电弹性体发电机（DEGs）的变形和能量转导机制；2)采用高精度的数值模拟来模拟风膜相互作用的空气动力学，并利用模拟的软膜变形来计算膜的最大风能吸收和发电密度。3)基于气动仿真和材料的机电特性，设计并制作了旗子外形尺寸的电磁弹性体；4)实验测量了不同风速下产生的功率，并将结果与仿真计算相关联；5)合成了符合气动要求的新型介电弹性体。这项研究将导致对风能收集周期和使用介电弹性体有效捕获和转换风能所需的方法的基本理解。更广泛的影响：该研究将创造出一种全新的风能发电机，具有吸引力和灵活的外形因素，潜在的高转换效率，低成本制造和规模不变性。该结果将有利于其他介电弹性体在诸如生物医学设备、机器人、工业自动化和消费电子等重要领域的应用。研究成果将通过科学和专利出版物、会议报告以及本科生和研究生教育向公众传播。研究生和本科生将参与拟议的研究，并学习从新材料的合成和表征到创建设备和测量物理性质的技术。作为我们促进多样性承诺的一部分，我们计划特别鼓励大三和大四本科生女性和少数民族进行实习研究，特别是那些对追求学术教学或研究事业感兴趣的人。我们将与加州大学洛杉矶分校的加州纳米系统研究所合作，邀请来自洛杉矶联合学区的高中生在PI的实验室进行为期8周的暑期实习研究。

0933556PeiProject SummaryIntellectual Merit: Wind energy presents a renewable, widely distributed, abundant source of clean energy that has been largely untapped due to the high installation cost, environmental impact, and intermittency of the blade-turbine generators. The recent advances in dielectric elastomers provides a unique opportunity to design a new category of wind electricity generators wherein the active transducing material absorbs wind energy and converts it directly into electricity. These electroactive polymers can undergo large deformation and store a large quantity of elastic energy that is transduced into electricity as the deformed polymers relax. The objective of the proposed research is to study the aerodynamics associated with the large deformations in dielectric elastomer films and the corresponding generation of electricity. The PIs will 1) model and experimentally analyze the deformation and energy transduction mechanisms in dielectric elastomer generators (DEGs), 2) use highly accurate numerical simulation to model the aerodynamics of wind-membrane interaction and use the simulated deformation of soft membranes to calculate the maximum wind energy absorption and power generation density in the membrane, 3) design and fabricated DEGs in the form factor of a flag based on the aerodynamic simulation and the material's electro-mechanical characteristics, 4) experimentally measure the generated power at various wind velocities and correlate the results with the simulations and calculations, and 5) synthesize new dielectric elastomers according to the aerodynamic requirements. The research will result in the essential understanding of the wind energy harvesting cycle and methodologies required to efficiently capture and transduce wind energy using dielectric elastomers. Broader Impact: The research will create a radically a new wind energy generator with an attractive and flexible form factor, potentially high conversion efficiency, low-cost fabrication, and scale invariability. The results should benefit other dielectric elastomer applications in such important areas as biomedical devices, robotics, industrial automation, and consumer electronics. The research findings will be disseminated to the public through scientific and patent publications, conference presentations, and education of undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in the proposed research and learn techniques ranging from synthesis and characterization of new materials to creating devices and measuring physical properties. As part of our commitment to promote diversity, we plan to particularly encourage junior and senior undergraduate women and minorities to carry out intern research, especially those who show interest in pursuing an academic teaching or research career. We will collaborate with the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA to host high school students from the Los Angeles Unified School District for 8-week summer intern research in the PI's lab.