Lead-free NaNbO3 nanowires for a high output piezoelectric nanogenerator

ACS Nano. 2011 Dec 27;5(12):10041-6. doi: 10.1021/nn2039033. Epub 2011 Nov 21.

Abstract

Perovskite ferroelectric nanowires have rarely been used for the conversion of tiny mechanical vibrations into electricity, in spite of their large piezoelectricity. Here we present a lead-free NaNbO(3) nanowire-based piezoelectric device as a high output and cost-effective flexible nanogenerator. The device consists of a NaNbO(3) nanowire-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) polymer composite and Au/Cr-coated polymer films. High-quality NaNbO(3) nanowires can be grown by hydrothermal method at low temperature and can be poled by an electric field at room temperature. The NaNbO(3) nanowire-PDMS polymer composite device shows an output voltage of 3.2 V and output current of 72 nA (current density of 16 nA/cm(2)) under a compressive strain of 0.23%. These results imply that NaNbO(3) nanowires should be quite useful for large-scale lead-free piezoelectric nanogenerator applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Electric Power Supplies*
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Lead
  • Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / instrumentation*
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure
  • Niobium / chemistry*
  • Particle Size
  • Sodium / chemistry*

Substances

  • sodium niobate
  • Niobium
  • Lead
  • Sodium