High-output nanogenerator by rational unipolar assembly of conical nanowires and its application for driving a small liquid crystal display

Youfan Hu, Yan Zhang, Chen Xu, Guang Zhu, Zhong Lin Wang

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

241 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present a simple, cost-effective, robust, and scalable approach for fabricating a nanogenerator that gives an output power strong enough to continuously drive a commercial liquid crystal display. Utilizing the conical shape of the as-grown ZnO nanowires, a nanogenerator is fabricated by simply dispersing them onto a flat polymer film to form a rational " composite" structure. It is suggested that the geometry induced unipolar assembly of the conical nanowires in such a composite structure results in a macroscopic piezoelectric potential across its thickness by introducing a mechanical deformation, which may be responsible for driving the flow of the inductive charges between the top and bottom electrodes. A compressive strain of 0.11% at a straining rate of 3.67% s-1 produces an output voltage up to 2 V (equivalent open circuit voltage of 3.3 V). This is a practical and versatile technology with the potential for powering small size personal electronics.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5025-5031
Number of pages7
JournalNano Letters
Volume10
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Dec 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Nanogenerator
  • ZnO
  • conical nanowire

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanical Engineering

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