1.6 v nanogenerator for mechanical energy harvesting using PZT nanofibers

Energy harvesting technologies that are engineered to miniature sizes, while still increasing the power delivered to wireless electronics, ^1,2 portable devices, stretchable electronics,³ and implantable biosensors,^4,5 are strongly desired. Piezoelectric nanowire- and nanofiber-based generators have potential uses for powering such devices through a conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy. ⁶ However, the piezoelectric voltage constant of the semiconductor piezoelectric nanowires in the recently reported piezoelectric nanogenerators^7-12is lower than that of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanomaterials. Here we report a piezoelectric nanogenerator based on PZT nanofibers. The PZT nanofibers, with a diameter and length of approximately 60 nm and 500 μm, were aligned on interdigitated electrodes of platinum fine wires and packaged using a soft polymer on a silicon substrate. The measured output voltage and power under periodic stress application to the soft polymer was 1.63 V and 0.03 μW, respectively.