Energy-Autonomous Microgrids: Integrated DC Energy Scavenging and On-Chip Micro-batteries for Self-Sustained Smart Electronics

Objective

Artificial intelligence now depends on continuous, real-time data from vast IoT networks (microsensors, RFID, wearables, smart infrastructure). With >50 billion devices projected by 2030, disposable batteries and wiring are neither sustainable nor operationally manageable. Prior self-powered schemes pairing piezoelectric/triboelectric harvesters with micro-supercapacitors often yield irregular AC, high impedance and rapid self-discharge, forcing rectifiers/PMICs and undermining long-term operation. This Global Fellowship will deliver the first Autonomous-µGrids: a fully printed, monolithically integrated platform that directly couples DC tribovoltaic and moisture-electric generators with on-chip Zn//I2 micro-batteries to supply stable, maintenance-free power without external rectification or bulky power management. The research is organised into four objectives : (i) fabricate on-chip, high-performance Zn//I2 MBs; (ii) design scalable, low-impedance DC harvesters (tribovoltaic, moisture-electric) that capture ambient energy, including human micromotions, under real conditions; (iii) realise a monolithic platform via impedance/output matching to eliminate lossy stages; (iv) validate by powering commercial ultra-low-power micro-IoT (RFID, microsensors, microrobots). The approach combines printed Au interdigitated collectors on PET/Kapton, micro-plotter deposition of Zn and cathode inks, and printable MEG/tribovoltaic layers engineered for high output and environmental robustness. This fellowship will move self-powered IoT from lab prototypes to deployable infrastructure, establishing a generalisable, maintenance-free power platform for next-generation autonomous electronics.