nano 1.

Abstract Materials Science research is now entered a new phase where the structure and properties of materials are investigated, characterized and controlled at the nano scale. Today's portableelectronics depend on batteries for power. Batteries and other traditional sources are too large,and tend to negate the size advantages of nano devices. Now researchers have demonstratedthat easy-to-make, inexpensive nanowires can harvest mechanical energy, to overcome thesechallenges researches are finding alternative ways, and nano generator is one promisinganswer. A nano generator take advantage of unique coupled piezoelectric & semi conducting properties of zinc oxide nano structure (wires), which produce small electrical charges whenthey are flexed. By finding a way to collect electricity from multiple nano wires, theresearchers took a big step toward a practical nano -scale power generator. When you walk,you generate 67 watts. Your finger movement is 0.1 watt. Your breathing is one watt. If youcan convert a fraction of that, you can power a device. From the concept we've demonstrated,we can convert 17-30 percent of that energy. Consequently, researchers are developinginnovative technologies to convert various forms of energy into electrical energy for low power nano devices. In this paper the piezoelectric zinc oxide nano wire arrays are used todemonstrate a novel approach for converting nano mechanical energy into electrical energy. 2 . Introduction 2 .1 Overview Nanotechnology is a field whose theme is the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale, nanotechnology deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller. Nanotechnology is extremely diverse ranging from novel extensions of conventional device physics. Nanogenerator is a prototype nanometer-scale generator that produces continuousdirect-current electricity by harvesting mechanical energy from such environmental sourcesas ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibration or blood flow. Based on arrays of vertically-aligned zinc oxide nano wires that move inside a novel zig-zag plate electrode, thenanogenerators could provide a new way to power nanoscale devices without batteries or other external power sources. Nanogenerator is an energy harvesting device converting the external kinetic energy into anelectrical energy based on the energy conversion by nano-structured piezoelectric material.Although its definition may include any types of energy harvesting devices with nano-structure converting the various types of the ambient energy, it is used in most of times tospecifically

indicate the kinetic energy harvesting devices utilizing nano-scaled piezoelectricmaterial after its first introduction in 2006. Although still in the early stage of the development, it has been regarded as a potential breakthrough toward the further miniaturization of the conventional energy harvester, possibly leading the facile integration with the other types of energy harvester converting thedifferent types of energy and the independent operation of mobile electronic devices withthe reduced concerns for the energy source, consequently. Over the past decades, intensive research efforts have been carried out in developing energyharvesting system for portable and wireless applications. In particular, piezoelectric generator offers the most robust and simple solutions for mechanical energy harvesting. The mainadvantage of piezoelectric generator is its scalability. This is why the recent reports of energyharvesting from the environment using ZnO nanowire arrays have attracted great interests byscaling down the power source to nanoscale. PVDF stands for Poly (vinylidene fluoride).PVDF is a highly non -reactive, flexible, inexpensive, and leading polymer with good piezoelectric property. However, it must first be stretched and poled in a strong electrical fieldfor its piezoelectricity. In this work, we present a direct-write technology to produce and place piezoelectric PVDF nanofibers at the same time with the in -situ poling and mechanicalstretching process simultaneously as the foundation for nanogenerators . 2 . 2 Why nanogenerator is required? y Materials Science research is now entered a new phase where the structure and properties of materials are investigated, characterized and controlled at the nano scale. y Though as sophisticated as their larger counterparts, these devices are still burdened because they rely on an outside power. y Batteries and other traditional sources are too large, and tend to negate the sizeadvantages of nano devices. y

To overcome these challenges researches are finding alternative ways, and nanogenerator is one promising answer. y A nano generator take advantage of unique coupled piezo electric & semi conducting properties of zinc oxide nano structure (wires), which produce small electricalcharges when they are flexed. y By finding a way to collect electricity from multiple nano wires, the researchers took a big step toward a practical nano-scale power generator 6 3. Nanogenerator construction/ fabrication The Nanogenerator is constructed with an electrode lowered on top of the nanowire array,leaving just enough space so that a significant number of the nanowires are free to flexwithin the gaps created by the tips. Moved by the mechanical energy such as waves or vibration, the nanowires periodically contact the tips, transferring their electrical charges. Bycapturing the tiny amounts of current produced by hundreds of nanowires kept in motion,the generators produce a direct current output in the nano-Ampere range. The Nanogenerator could produce as much as 4 watts per cubic centimeter- based on a calculation for a singlenanowire. The Nanogenerator would produce enough power to operate nanometer scaledefense, environmental and biomedical applications, including biosensors implanted in the body, environmental monitors, and even nanoscale robots. April 14, 2006 issue of the journal Science, Wangs research team announced the concept behind the nanogenerators.At the time the Nanogenerator could harvest power from just one nanowire at a time bydragging the tip of an atomic force microscope over it. Made of platinum coated silicon, thetip served as a schottky barrier, helping accumulate and preserve the electrical charge as thenanowire flexed and ensuring that the current flowed in one direction.

Fig3: show the fabrication process of the nanogenerator.First, two aluminum electrodes are put on the plastic substrate with a spacing of 500 nm to 1mm. The aluminum electrodes serve as the collector for NFES (near-field electrospinning) process and output leads for piezoelectricity measurement. Secondly, we directly write PVDFnanofiber across two grounded aluminum electrodes using the NFES process. Finally, silver pastes are applied at the two ends of PVDF nanofiber so that the bonding between nanofiber and electrodes are reinforced and the contact resistance is reduced. Figure 4(c) shows actualdevice with a single PVDF nanofiber. The PVDF nanofiber has a diameter of 700 nm and issuspended across two aluminum electrodes that are 700 nm apart.

9 4 .

C lassification based on geometrical configuration Depending on the configuration of piezoelectric nanostructure, the most of thenanogenerator can be categorized into 2 types:VING (Vertical nanowire Integrated Nanogenerator) LING (Lateral nanowire Integrated Nanogenerator) Still, there is a configuration that do not fall into the aforementioned categories , as stated inother type. 4 .1 Vertical nanowire Integrated Nanogenerator (VING) VING is a 3-dimensional configuration consisting of a stack of 3 layers in general, whichare the base electrode, the vertically grown piezoelectric nanostructure and the counter electrode. The piezoelectric nanostructure is usually grown from the base electrode byvarious synthesizing techniques, which are then integrated with the counter electrode in fullor partial mechanical contact with its tip 10 4 . 2 Lateral nanowire Integrated Nanogenerator (LING) LING is a 2-dimensional configuration consisting of three parts: the base electrode, thelaterally grown piezoelectric nanostructure and the metal electrode for schottky contact. Inmost of cases, the thickness of the substrate film is much thicker than the diameter of the piezoelectric nanostructure, so the individual nanostructure is subjected to the pure tensilestrain. LING is an expansion of single wire generator (SWG), where a laterally alignednanowire is integrated on the flexible substrate. SWG is rather a scientific configurationused for verifying the capability of electrical energy generation of a piezoelectric materialand is widely adopted in the early stage of the development

4 .3 Other type The fabric-like geometrical configuration has been suggested by Professor Zhong Lin Wangin 2008. The piezoelectric nanowire is grown vertically on the two microfibers in its radialdirection, and they are twined to form a nanogenerator. One of the microfibers is coated withthe metal to form a schottky contact, serving as the counter electrode of VINGs. As themovable microfiber is stretched, the deformation of the nanostructure occurs on thestationary microfiber, resulting in the voltage generation. Its working principle is identical toVINGs with partial mechanical contact, thus generating DC electrical signal

5. Materials Among various piezoelectric materials studied for the nanogenerator, many of the researcheshave been focused on the materials with wurtzite structure such as ZnO, CdS and GaN. Thegreatest advantage of theses material arises from the facile and cost-effective fabricationtechnique, hydrothermal synthesis. Since the hydrothermal synthesis can be conducted in a lowtemperature environment under 100C in addition to vertical and crystalline growth, thesematerials can be integrated in various substrates with reduced concern for

its physicalcharacteristics such as a melting temperature.Endeavors for enhancing the piezoelectricity of the individual nanowire also led to thedevelopment of other piezoelectric materials based on Wurtzite structure. Professor Zhong LinWang of Georgia Institute of Technology introduced p-type ZnO nanowire. Unlike the n-typesemiconductive nanostructure, the mobile particle in p-type is a hole, thus the schottky behavior is reversed from that of n-type case; the electrical signal is generated from the portion of thenanostructure where the holes are accumulated. It is experimentally proved that p-type ZnOnanowire can generate the output signal near 10 times that of n-type ZnO nanowire.From the idea that the material with perovskite structure is known to have more effective piezoelectric characteristic compared to that with wurtzite structure, Barium titanate (BaTiO3)nanowire has been also studied by Professor Min-Feng Yu of University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. The output signal is found to be more than 16 time that from a similar ZnOnanowire.Professor Liwei Lin of University of California at Berkeley has suggested that PVDF can be alsoapplied to form a nanogenerator. Being a polymer, PVDF utilizes a near-field electrospinning for its fabrication, which is rather a different technique compared to other materials. The nanofiber can be directly written on the substrate controlling the process, and this technique is expected to be applied for forming selfpowered textile based on nanofiber.

The piezoelectric nanogenerator could potentially convert the following intoelectric energy

for self -powering nanodevices and nanosystems : y Mechanical-movement energy, such as body or muscle movement or blood pressure; y Vibration energy, from acoustic or ultrasonic waves; y Hydraulic energy, such as from the flow of body fluids or blood, the contraction of blood vessels, or dynamic fluid in nature. y The microelectronic mechanical systems microgenerator, which is mostly built on a piezoelectric thin-flm cantilever, can also convert such energy into electric energy. 6 . NW- based nanogenerators offer the following advantages : y Because NWs can grow on any substrate at a low temperature, you can integrate NW based nanogenerators with organic and inorganic materials for flexible electronics. y NW-based nanogenerator work on a wide frequency range, from a few hertz to multiplemegahertzs. Also the NWs mechanical resonance is not required to generate electricity. y ZnO is bio-compatible and environment friendly. y NWs have super elasticity and resistive to fatigue, owing to there smaller diameter, sowe expect nanogenerators to be long lasting. y With a large surface area, NW functionality may provide additional advantages such assurface modifications.