Lead-Free Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Based on 2D Bismuth Titanate

The use of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials with a noncentrosymmetric structure dramatically increases the potential of nanoscale electromechanical systems and electronic devices. In this work, liquid-phase exfoliation of bulk bismuth titanate was employed to synthesize atomically thin 2D sheets and fabricate a high-performance piezoelectric energy harvester. The structural and morphological properties of the 2D sheets were analyzed, confirming their phase purity and layer formation. Piezoelectric properties of the 2D sheets were evaluated using Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM), demonstrating a high d(33) piezoelectric coefficient of 40 pm/V in a few-layer bismuth titanate nanosheet. A prototype energy harvesting device was fabricated with 2D bismuth titanate as the active material. The piezoelectric response of the fabricated device was recorded at different frequencies and forces, which yielded a maximum d(33) of 57.8 pC/N at 1 Hz. Such a solid electromechanical performance at a relatively infinitesimal input response indicates that 2D bismuth titanate can be useful for piezoelectric energy harvesting applications.