Bending zinc oxide nanowires and nanobelts generates power.(EMERGING TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)

Advanced Materials & Processes, May, 2007

Bending zinc oxide nanowires and nanobelts can produce field-effect transistors, diodes, sensors, and current-producing nanogenerators, say researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. These devices take advantage of the relationship between the mechanical and electronic coupled behavior of piezoelectric nanomaterials, a mechanism the researchers call "nano-piezotronics." For example, in a nano-piezotronic transistor, bending a one-dimensional zinc oxide nanostructure alters the distribution of electrical charges, providing control over the current flowing through it.

By measuring changes in current flow through them, piezotronic sensors can detect forces in the nano- or even pico-Newton range. Other piezotronic sensors can determine blood...

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