An energy harvest is disclosed. The disclosed energy harvest includes: a first charging member including a plurality of first protruding parts; and a second charging member including a plurality of second protruding parts arranged between the first protruding parts and including a material different from that of the first protruding parts. When at least one of the first and second charging members moves, side surfaces of the first protruding parts and side surfaces of the second protruding parts come into contact with each other, or gaps between the side surfaces of the first protruding parts and the side surfaces of the second protruding parts are changed. The energy harvest generates electrical energy from the contact or the gap change.

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for flexible batteries and methods for forming flexible batteries. A flexible battery can include a borophene sheet, a pyroelectric peptide microtubule, and a borophene cap. A first end of the pyroelectric peptide microtubule can be located adjacent to the borophene sheet and the borophene cap can be located at a second end of the pyroelectric peptide microtubule. The borophene cap can collect a charge created by the pyroelectric peptide microtubule. The flexible battery also can include a collection wire that directs the charge to a borophene capacitor charge system.

Thermal pattern sensor comprising several pixels arranged on a substrate, each pixel including at least: a pyroelectric capacitance formed by at least one portion of pyroelectric material arranged between at least one lower electrode and at least one upper electrode, with the lower electrode arranged between the substrate and the portion of pyroelectric material, a dielectric layer such that the upper electrode is arranged between the portion of pyroelectric material and the dielectric layer, a heating element including at least one deposition of electrically conductive particles and such that the dielectric layer is arranged between the upper electrode and the heating element, a protective layer arranged between the dielectric layer and the heating element and including at least one material of which the Shore A hardness is greater than or equal to around 60.

A multilayer pyroelectric element includes: a laminate body constituted by multiple pyroelectric body layers laminated in their thickness direction; internal electrode layers which are provided between the pyroelectric body layers, and one ends of which extend to the outer peripheries of the adjoining pyroelectric body layers; and external electrodes that connect the alternate internal electrode layers together at the one ends, wherein x.sub.1>x.sub.3 AND x.sub.2>x.sub.3 are satisfied wherein x.sub.1 is a distance between a pair of first faces crossing at right angles with the laminating direction of the pyroelectric body layers, x.sub.2 is a distance between a pair of second faces crossing at right angles with the first faces and running parallel with the laminating direction of the pyroelectric body layers, and x.sub.3a is a distance between a pair of third faces crossing at right angles with the first faces and also with the second faces.

Provided are a structure including: a substrate; a first layer provided on the substrate; a second layer provided on the first layer; and a third layer provided on the second layer, in which the first layer is a layer containing a compound represented by a chemical formula MIn.sub.2O.sub.4 using M as a metal element, the second layer is a metal layer having a face-centered cubic structure, and the third layer is a ferroelectric film, and a sensor using the structure.

A method of making an electrocaloric is disclosed. The method includes: (a) providing a roll of a film comprising an electrocaloric material or a supply of multiple sheets of a film comprising an electrocaloric material; (b) delivering film from the roll or the supply of multiple sheets to a conductive material application station; (c) forming electrodes comprising a patterned disposition of conductive material on the film at the application station to form an electrocaloric article (d) delivering film from the application station to a take-up roll or an inventory of electrocaloric sheets; and (e) repeating (b), (c), and (d) to form multiple electrocaloric articles.

A micromechanic structure includes a substrate, an adhesion layer arranged on the substrate, a first metal layer arranged on the adhesion layer, a ferroelectric layer arranged on the first metal layer and including lead zirconate titanate, and a second metal layer arranged on the ferroelectric layer, wherein the lead concentration of the ferroelectric layer decreases in a stepped manner with increasing distance from the first metal layer such that the ferroelectric layer includes a plurality of partial layers in which the lead concentration is respectively uniform.

An infrared sensor comprises a base substrate including a recess, a bolometer infrared ray receiver, and a Peltier device. The bolometer infrared ray receiver comprises a resistance variable layer, a bolometer first beam, and a bolometer second beam. The Peltier device comprises a Peltier first beam formed of a p-type semiconductor material and a Peltier second beam formed of an n-type semiconductor material. The Peltier device is in contact with a back surface of the bolometer infrared ray receiver. One end of each of the bolometer first beam, the bolometer second beam, the Peltier first beam, and the Peltier second beam is connected to the base substrate. The bolometer infrared ray receiver and the Peltier device are suspended above the base substrate. Each of the bolometer first beam, the bolometer second beam, the Peltier first beam, and the Peltier second beam has a phononic crystal structure including a plurality of through holes arranged regularly.

A passive thermal oscillator combines a thermoelectric device and a passive analog electrical circuit to produce a time-oscillating temperature difference. The oscillator makes use of a temperature difference imposed across a thermoelectric device to produce a Seebeck voltage to periodically trigger electrical current to pass through a switch. The periodic electrical current causes periodic Peltier cooling producing a time-oscillating temperature difference across the thermoelectric device. There is no requirement for additional external energy input because the thermal energy generates a voltage that is used as the driving force. The operation is purely passive. So long as there is a temperature difference across the thermoelectric device, then the passive thermal oscillator oscillates. The passive thermal oscillator can integrate multiple energy conversion device technologies to operate cooperatively. The cooperation of multiple energy conversion technologies yields a much higher overall system efficiency than just the conversion of thermal energy into electrical energy.

Method for manufacturing a device comprising a stack including a first layer comprising electrical conductors electrically insulated from each other, a second electrically conducting layer, a third layer of pyroelectric material, said third layer being arranged between the first layer and the second layer, said method comprising, a) producing said stack on a substrate, the material of the third layer not being pyroelectric at this stage, b) producing a polarisation layer made of epoxy glue in electrical contact with the electrical conductors in the first layer, c) applying polarisation voltage to said third layer such that its material becomes pyroelectric, d) exposing the polarisation layer in its second state by ultraviolet radiation so as to make it at least partly electrically insulating.