NFC Energy Harvesting using Flexible Hybrid Electronics: An experimental case study

The importance of sensors in an era of ubiquitous computing and the internet of everything is indisputable. Near Field communication technology presented in most mobile phones is a key solution for developing low-cost sensors. NFC allows simultaneous transfer of data and power without requiring a specific reader. The robustness, cost, and performance of such sensors can be significantly improved if implemented using Flexible Hybrid Electronics. This work presents a case study of an NFC energy harvesting system composed of a flexible antenna and a simple rectifier circuit. The energy extraction system was modeled, simulated, and experimentally tested using a conventional cell phone as the power source. The experimental results validated the proper prototype operation and show up to 200 mW of power extraction from the cell phone for a given resistive load.