Biological Energy Harvesting
Content of the lecture:
Electromechanical energy harvesting plays a pivotal role in converting kinetic energy into electrical power, thus enabling innovative applications ranging from Internet of Things (IoT) to biomedical monitoring. The key to further advancement lies in the development of bio-compatible materials and bio-energy harvesting solutions. Next-generation devices will need to seamlessly integrate with biological systems in order to mitigate environmental impact. In this talk we will discuss how we can harness not only mechanical motion but even biological processes to generate electrical power, exploring direct energy extraction from biological cells. The feasibility of wireless autonomous embedded sensors with bio-cells will be presented, along with other recent advances in bio-compatible materials.
Teacher: Dr. Giacomo Clementi
Giacomo Clementi earned his Master of Science in Physics from University of Perugia (UniPg) in 2016, specializing in Condensed Matter Physics. Afterwards, he contributed to research projects like MADELENA, funded by IBF-CNR, and PROTEUS, supported by the H2020 EU program. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Energy & Mechanics at FEMTO-ST in France as an Early Stage Researcher under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN ENHANCE program (2020). His doctoral research focused on piezoelectric and pyroelectric energy harvesting properties of lead-free materials, particularly LiNbO3, leading to a patented micro-fabrication technology. Currently he is a Research Fellow at NiPS Laboratory (UniPg), where he investigates innovative and bio-compatible electroactive materials for autonomous sensors and energy harvesting, contributing to projects such as BIOGREEN, VITALITY and WISE-X1, while also consulting for Wisepower srl on R&D projects.