Piezoelectric-nanowire-enabled power source for driving wireless microelectronics.
Harvesting energy from irregular/random mechanical actions in variable and uncontrollable environments is an effective approach for powering wireless mobile electronics to meet a wide range of applications in our daily life. Piezoelectric nanowires are robust and can be stimulated by tiny physical motions/disturbances over a range of frequencies. Here, we demonstrate the first chemical epitaxial growth of PbZr(x)Ti(1-x)O(3) (PZT) nanowire arrays at 230 °C and their application as high-output energy converters. The nanogenerators fabricated using a single array of PZT nanowires produce a peak output voltage of ~0.7 V, current density of 4 μA cm(-2) and an average power density of 2.8 mW cm(-3). The alternating current output of the nanogenerator is rectified, and the harvested energy is stored and later used to light up a commercial laser diode. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using nanogenerators for powering mobile and even personal microelectronics.
Xu
Sheng
S
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, USA.
Hansen
Benjamin J
BJ
Wang
Zhong Lin
ZL
D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure