Highly Flexible Graphene-Film-Based Rectenna for Wireless Energy Harvesting

Herein,we report the design,fabrication,and performance of two wireless energy harvesting devices based on highly flexible graphene macroscopic films(FGMFs).We first demonstrate that benefiting from the high conductivity of up to 1×10^(6)S m^(-1)and good resistive stability of FGMFs even under extensive bending,the FGMFs-based rectifying circuit(GRC)exhibits good flexibility and RF-to-DC efficiency of 53%at 2.1 GHz.Moreover,we further expand the application of FGMFs to a flexible wideband monopole rectenna and a 2.45 GHz wearable rectenna for harvesting wireless energy.The wideband rectenna at various bending conditions produces a maximum conversion efficiency of 52%,46%,and 44%at the 5th Generation(5G)2.1 GHz,Industrial Long-Term Evolution(LTE)2.3 GHz,and Scientific Medical(ISM)2.45 GHz,respectively.A 2.45 GHz GRC is optimized and integrated with an AMC-backed wearable antenna.The proposed 2.45 GHz wearable rectenna shows a maximum conversion efficiency of 55.7%.All the results indicate that the highly flexible graphene-film-based rectennas have great potential as a wireless power supplier for smart Internet of Things(loT)applications.

Bidirectional secondary transmissions with energy harvesting in cognitive wireless sensor networks

To the existing spectrum sharing schemes in wireless-powered cognitive wireless sensor networks,the protocols are limited to either separate the primary and the secondary transmission or allow the secondary user to transmit signals in a time slot when it forwards the primary signal.In order to address this limitation,a novel cooperative spectrum sharing scheme is proposed,where the secondary transmission is multiplexed with both the primary transmission and the relay transmission.Specifically,the process of transmission is on a three-phase time-switching relaying basis.In the first phase,a cognitive sensor node SU1 scavenges energy from the primary transmission.In the second phase,another sensor node SU2 and primary transmitter simultaneously transmit signals to the SU1.In the third phase,the node SU1 can assist the primary transmission to acquire the opportunity of spectrum sharing.Joint decoding and interference cancellation technique is adopted at the receivers to retrieve the desired signals.We further derive the closed-form expressions for the outage probabilities of both the primary and secondary systems.Moreover,we address optimization of energy harvesting duration and power allocation coefficient strategy under performance criteria.An effective algorithm is then presented to solve the optimization problem.Simulation results demonstrate that with the optimized solutions,the sensor nodes with the proposed cooperative spectrum sharing scheme can utilize the spectrum in a more efficient manner without deteriorating the performance of the primary transmission,as compared with the existing one-directional scheme in the literature.

Scavenging Microwave Wireless Power:A Unified Model,Rectenna Design Automation,and Cutting-Edge Techniques

While sufficient review articles exist on inductive short-range wireless power transfer(WPT),long-haul microwave WPT(MWPT)for solar power satellites,and ambient microwave wireless energy harvesting(MWEH)in urban areas,few studies focus on the fundamental modeling and related design automation of receiver systems.This article reviews the development of MWPT and MWEH receivers,with a focus on rectenna design automation.A novel rectifier model capable of accurately modeling the rectification process under both high and low input power is presented.The model reveals the theoretical boundary of radio frequency-to-direct current(dc)power conversion efficiency and,most importantly,enables an automated system design.The automated rectenna design flow is sequential,with the minimal engagement of iterative optimization.It covers the design automation of every module(i.e.,rectifiers,matching circuits,antennae,and dc–dc converters).Scaling-up of the technique to large rectenna arrays is also possible,where the challenges in array partitioning and power combining are briefly discussed.In addition,several cutting-edge rectenna techniques for MWPT and MWEH are reviewed,including the dynamic range extension technique,the harmonics-based retro-directive technique,and the simultaneous wireless information and power transfer technique,which can be good complements to the presented automated design methodology.

Programmable Metasurface for Simultaneously Wireless Information and Power Transfer System

Implementing self-sustainable wireless communication systems is urgent and challenging for 5G and 6G technologies.In this paper,we elaborate on a system solution using the programmable metasurface(PMS)for simultaneous wireless information and power transfers(SWIPT),offering an optimized wireless energy management network.Both transmitting and receiving sides of the proposed solution are presented in detail.On the transmitting side,employing the wireless power transfer(WPT)technique,we present versatile power conveying strategies for near-field or far-field targets,single or multiple targets,and equal or unequal power targets.On the receiving side,utilizing the wireless energy harvesting(WEH)technique,we report our work on multi-functional rectifying metasurfaces that collect the wirelessly transmitted energy and the ambient energy.More importantly,a numerical model based on the plane-wave angular spectrum method is investigated to accurately calculate the radiation fields of PMS in the Fresnel and Fraunhofer regions.With this model,the efficiencies of WPT between the transmitter and the receiver are analyzed.Finally,future research directions are discussed,and integrated PMS for wireless information and wireless power is outlined.

A Self-Healing Optoacoustic Patch with High Damage Threshold and Conversion Efficiency for Biomedical Applications

Compared with traditional piezoelectric ultrasonic devices,optoacoustic devices have unique advantages such as a simple preparation process,anti-electromagnetic interference,and wireless long-distance power supply.However,current optoacoustic devices remain limited due to a low damage threshold and energy conversion efficiency,which seriously hinder their widespread applications.In this study,using a self-healing polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS,Fe-Hpdca-PDMS)and carbon nanotube composite,a flexible optoacoustic patch is developed,which possesses the self-healing capability at room temperature,and can even recover from damage induced by cutting or laser irradiation.Moreover,this patch can generate high-intensity ultrasound(>25 MPa)without the focusing structure.The laser damage threshold is greater than 183.44 mJ cm^(-2),and the optoacoustic energy conversion efficiency reaches a major achievement at 10.66×10^(-3),compared with other carbon-based nanomaterials and PDMS composites.This patch is also been successfully examined in the application of acoustic flow,thrombolysis,and wireless energy harvesting.All findings in this study provides new insight into designing and fabricating of novel ultrasound devices for biomedical applications.