Indoor power harvesting using hybrid perovskite materials

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The world is increasingly using low-power, electronic devices in myriad ways, including as sensors for the Internet of Things (IoT), where billions of objects are connected to the internet to make a smart network, and in wearable electronic devices such as smart watches. Sensors are the fundamental components in the success of these ground-breaking technologies. By 2022, the total number of connected sensors and devices in IoT is expected to exceed 50 billion. How will all these devices be powered? Connecting every device to the electrical grid is too complex and expensive as it requires extensive installation and wiring, and furthermore increases electricity consumption. The use of batteries will limit the life span, bring service interruptions during battery replacement and will pose severe environmental issues at their disposal. My proposed research will bring a practical solution to this by developing inexpensive and environmentally friendly, new technologies to power these small electronic components. My research vision is to power these wireless sensors and internet connected smart devices, using cost-effective and self-sustaining indoor energy harvesters. For this I will suitably 'tune' the properties of a family of electronic materials called 'hybrid perovskites' which combine favourable attributes of both organic and inorganic materials. The two physical properties that I envisage to exploit for this 'multiple' energy harvesting are (a) photovoltaic - converting light to electricity and (b) piezoelectricity - converting mechanical vibrations to electricity. In hybrid perovskites these two properties co-exist, opening new opportunities for multiple energy harvesting. Inside buildings a vast reservoir of untapped energy is available in the form of lighting, mechanical vibrations and movement. Usually these are wasted energy inside the buildings. By combining the strengths of co-existing photovoltaic and piezoelectric activity in hybrid perovskites, I will develop different types of indoor energy harvesters, capable of harnessing energy from multiple sources of ambient energy. This multifunctional energy harvesting will lead to increased output electrical power and provide contingency in the scenario where one of the energy sources is not available or intermittent for e.g.; at night indoor lighting may be limited in supply but still vibrations inside the buildings can be pervasive (e.g.: air conditioning). Thus, by providing a continuous autonomous powering to sensors in IoT, my proposed project would enable these two technologies to achieve their potential to the fullest. This in turn will revolutionise our ways of life through more effective monitoring and communication, which will impact health care and the well-being of communities as well as the development of smart and energy efficient buildings and the digitization of manufacturing process. The proposed research will not only strengthen UK's existing photovoltaic global prominence by adding a new dimension of 'indoor' light harvesting but will also spearhead the UK's piezoelectric energy harvesting research. The proposed project is extremely timely as the power efficiency of microprocessor technology and local electrical energy storage systems (e.g.: supercapacitors) are continuously improving. Hence a similar advance in indoor energy harvesting will lead to a convergence of technologies which will ultimately lead to successful implementation of energy harvesting systems and products.