title: Vertically aligned arrays of BaTiO(3) nanowires.
abstract: Barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanowires have gained considerable research interest due to their lead-free composition and strong energy conversion efficiency. However, most research has focused on free-standing BaTiO3 nanowires, which are hard to apply for sensing and energy harvesting. Here, a novel method for the growth of vertically aligned BaTiO3 nanowire arrays on a conductive substrate is developed, and their electromechanical coupling behavior is directly evaluated to yield the strain coupling coefficient. The preparation of vertically aligned BaTiO3 nanowire arrays is based on a two-step hydrothermal reaction by first growing oriented rutile TiO2 nanowire arrays and then converting them to BaTiO3 while simultaneously retaining their morphology. A refined piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM) testing method is applied to demonstrate the piezoelectric behavior of BaTiO3 nanowires in the longitude direction. The piezoelectric response (d33 = 43 ± 2 pm/V) of the BaTiO3 nanowires is measured to demonstrate their potential application in sensors, energy harvesting, and micro-electromechanical systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Haixiong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Henry A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Sodano