Transforming Everyday Vibrations into Energy: Your Gateway to Next-Gen Piezoelectric Technology
Introduction
Imagine a world where the energy from every step you take, every vibration in the environment, is harnessed to power devices. Our patented “Method of Manufacture for Polymer Foam-Based Piezoelectric Material” (Patent #10522736) makes this vision a reality, offering a revolutionary material that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy with unparalleled efficiency.
The Innovation
Piezoelectric materials have long been valued for their ability to generate electricity from mechanical stress. However, traditional materials are often rigid, brittle, and expensive to produce. Enter our polymer foam-based piezoelectric material—a game-changer that combines flexibility, durability, and cost-effectiveness. This material is not just about generating energy; it’s about making energy generation accessible, versatile, and integrated into the fabric of everyday life.
Why This Matters
- Scalable and Cost-Effective Manufacturing: Our method leverages polymer foam, a lightweight and easily producible material, making it possible to scale up production without the prohibitive costs associated with traditional piezoelectrics. This opens up opportunities for widespread adoption across various industries.
- Flexible and Durable: Unlike conventional piezoelectric materials, our polymer foam-based solution is flexible and resilient, allowing it to be integrated into a wide range of products—from wearable technology and smart textiles to sensors embedded in infrastructure.
- Endless Applications: The potential uses are vast—imagine wearable devices that never need charging, sensors that draw energy from the vibrations of machinery, or even flooring that generates power as people walk across it.
The Opportunity
This is more than just a material—it’s the future of sustainable energy solutions. By licensing this patent, you’re not just adopting a technology; you’re becoming a leader in the next wave of energy innovation. Seize the opportunity to revolutionize how we think about energy with our polymer foam-based piezoelectric material.
Thermally stable piezoelectric polymer foams (ferroelectrets) with high piezoelectric activity for sensing and actuation. The invention further includes a method of fabricating such foams in an environmentally friendly manner.
What is claimed is:
1. A method for producing a multilayer polymer ferroelectret, comprising:
fabricating a plurality of patterned polymer layers, each patterned polymer layer comprising a plurality of cavities separated by supporting structures;
fabricating a metallized polymer top layer and a metallized polymer bottom layer;
fabricating a non-metallized flexible polymer central layer;
arranging the plurality of patterned layers, the metallized polymer top layer, the metallized polymer bottom layer and the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer such that at least one first patterned polymer layer of the plurality of patterned polymer layers is positioned between the metallized polymer top layer and the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer and at least one second patterned polymer layer of the plurality of patterned polymer layers is positioned between the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer and the metallized polymer bottom layer to form an assembly, and wherein the plurality of cavities of the first patterned polymer layer and the plurality of cavities of the second patterned polymer layer are adjacent to the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer and wherein the plurality of cavities of the first patterned polymer layer are positioned in a horizontal offset from the plurality of cavities of the second patterned polymer layer;
coupling the layers of the assembly using a carbon dioxide bonding process to form a bonded assembly; and
electrically charging the bonded assembly by subjecting the bonded assembly to an energy source.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the horizontal offset positions each one of the supporting structures of the at least one first patterned polymer layer within a width of a cavity of the plurality of cavities of the second patterned polymer layer.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of [i] the plurality of patterned polymer layers, [ii] the metallized polymer top layer, [iii] the metallized polymer bottom layer, or [iv] the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer comprises a polymer selected from cyclo-olefin copolymer, cyclic-olefin polymer, polypropylene, polyethylene naphthalene, polyethylene terephthalate, fluorinated ethylene propylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene, polyetherimide, or mixtures thereof.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of [i] the plurality of patterned polymer layers, [ii] the metallized polymer top layer, [iii] the metallized polymer bottom layer, or [iv] the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer comprises a polymer foam.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy source is a corona discharge or contact charge.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy source is an electric field or current.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon dioxide bonding process dissolves carbon dioxide into at least one of [i] the plurality of patterned polymer layers, [ii] the metallized polymer top layer, [iii] the metallized polymer bottom layer, or [iv] the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer.
8. A method for producing a multilayer polymer ferroelectret, comprising:
fabricating a first patterned polymer layer and a second patterned polymer layer, each of the first patterned polymer layer and the second patterned layer comprising a plurality of cavities separated by support structures;
fabricating a metallized polymer top layer and a metallized polymer bottom layer;
fabricating a non-metallized flexible polymer central layer;
arranging the layers in the order: metallized polymer top layer, first patterned polymer layer, non-metallized flexible polymer central layer, second patterned polymer layer, and metallized polymer bottom layer to form an assembly, and wherein the plurality of cavities of the first patterned polymer layer and the plurality of cavities of the second patterned polymer layer are adjacent to the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer and wherein the plurality of cavities of the first patterned polymer layer are positioned in a horizontal offset from the plurality of cavities of the second patterned polymer layer;
coupling the layers of the assembly using a carbon dioxide bonding process to form a bonded assembly; and
electrically charging the bonded assembly by subjecting the bonded assembly to an energy source.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the horizontal offset positions each one of the supporting structures of the first patterned polymer layer within a width of a cavity of the plurality of cavities of the second patterned polymer layer.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of [i] the first patterned polymer layer, [ii] the second patterned polymer layer, [iii] the metallized polymer top layer, [iv] the metallized polymer bottom layer, or [v] the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer comprises a polymer selected from cyclo-olefin copolymer, cyclic-olefin polymer, polypropylene, polyethylene naphthalene, polyethylene terephthalate, fluorinated ethylene propylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene, polyetherimide, or mixtures thereof.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of [i] the first patterned polymer layer, [ii] the second patterned polymer layer, [iii] the metallized polymer top layer, [iv] the metallized polymer bottom layer, or [v] the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer comprises a polymer foam.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the carbon dioxide bonding process dissolves carbon dioxide into at least one of [i] the first patterned polymer layer, [ii] the second patterned polymer layer, [iii] the metallized polymer top layer, [iv] the metallized polymer bottom layer, or [v] the non-metallized flexible polymer central layer.
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Title
METHOD OF MANUFACTURE FOR POLYMER FOAM - BASED PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIAL
Inventor(s)
Changchun Zeng, Yan Li
Assignee(s)
Florida State University Research Foundation Inc
Patent #
10522736
Patent Date
December 31, 2019