ABSTRACT
The search for next-generation materials to harness energy from ambient environment conditions has been a trending research topic in the last decade. Piezoelectric materials are the “go-to” materials to transduce electrical and mechanical energy that provide niche applications in the fields of sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters. This chapter highlights the necessity to design low cost, reversible, flexible, and self-sustainable highly efficient piezoelectric materials-based energy harvesters for portable electronic devices to cater the energy needs of future generations. The chapter discusses the fundamental physical mechanisms of piezoelectricity with simple everyday practical applications. The chapter briefly discusses the key characteristic features of different piezoelectric material systems and outlines different technological and material research advances to achieve high output energy conversion efficiencies of different piezoelectric materials via single crystal, polycrystal, polymer, and composites.
