Koranian I, Gholampour M, Mazandarani H. Improving energy harvesting in automotive applications: comparative analysis of ZnO Nanostructures for flexible piezoelectric devices. ASE 2024; 14 (2) :4353-4359
URL:
http://www.iust.ac.ir/ijae/article-1-664-en.html
Abstract: (4469 Views)
Fueled by their potential for energy harvesting, ZnO nanorods (NRs) have sparked considerable enthusiasm in the development of piezoelectric nanogenerators in the last decade. This is attributed to their exceptional piezoelectric properties, semiconducting nature, cost-effectiveness, abundance, chemical stability in the presence of air, and, the availability of diverse and straightforward crystal growth technologies. This study explores and compares the piezoelectric properties of two promising nanostructured ZnO architectures: thin films deposited via radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and well-aligned nanorod arrays grown using a hydrothermal process. Both structures are fabricated on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode (PET-ITO substrate), presenting valuable options for flexible piezoelectric devices. By directly comparing these distinct morphologies, we provide insights into their respective advantages and limitations for energy harvesting and sensor applications. The investigation into the piezoelectric properties of ZnO NRs involved the construction of an actual piezoelectric nanogenerator. This device demonstrated a direct correlation between applied mechanical forces and the resultant voltage outputs. It was observed that when the same external force was applied to both devices, the ZnO NRs-based piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) exhibited a higher output voltage compared to the other device.