Multilayer screen-printed P(VDF-TrFE) energy harvester for durable self-powered tire pressure monitoring in bicycle tube

Abstract In recent decades, energy harvesting in rotating tires has been an active field of research as this could avoid the use of toxic batteries, which are currently used to power pressure monitoring systems installed in millions of cars worldwide. However, due to the harsh mechanical conditions in a tire and the economic competition with low-cost and widely spread batteries, self-powered tire pressure monitoring systems have not yet entered the market. In this work we present a fully integrated and self-powered bicycle tube pressure monitoring system using a multilayer piezoelectric energy harvester based on P(VDF-TrFE) fabricated using low-cost and scalable screen-printing. The harvester design was optimised to increase the power output. In addition, the long-term durability of the system up to 5000 km was investigated. The durability tests show that for a real-world application, a compromise must be found between energy output and durability since both factors depend in opposite ways on the mechanical stress in the system.