A self-powered AC magnetic sensor based on piezoelectric nanogenerator

An AC magnetic field, which is a carrier of information, is distributed everywhere and is continuous. How to use and detect this field has been an ongoing topic over the past few decades. Conventional magnetic sensors are usually based on the Hall Effect, the fluxgate, a superconductor quantum interface or magnetoelectric or magnetoresistive sensing. Here, a flexible, simple, low-cost and self-powered active piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG) is successfully demonstrated as an AC magnetic field sensor at room temperature. The amplitude and frequency of a magnetic field can both be accurately sensed by the NG. The output voltage of the NG has a good linearity with a measured magnetic field. The detected minute magnetic field is as low as 1.2 × 10−7 tesla, which is 400 times greater than a commercial magnetic sensor that uses the Hall Effect. In comparison to the existing technologies, an NG is a room-temperature self-powered active sensor that is very simple and very cheap for practical applications.