Bistable Mechanism for Diode-Less Rectification in Energy Harvesting: Design, Experiments, and Practical Limitations

We present a bistable piezoelectric mechanism with mechanical stoppers, designed to implement passive AC-to-DC conversion. Two cantilevers with PZT patches and repulsive-tip magnets enable inter-well oscillations under moderate excitation. This work focuses on the characterization and understanding of the bistable mechanism and its potential use for AC voltage rectification, highlighting the challenges of purely mechanical rectifiers for small-scale energy harvesting and suggesting that further design optimization or hybrid solutions may be necessary for robust operation.