Piezoelectric Ribbons Printed onto Rubber for Flexible Energy Conversion

The development of a method for integrating highly efficient energy conversion materials onto stretchable, biocompatible rubbers could yield breakthroughs in implantable or wearable energy harvesting systems. Being electromechanically coupled, piezoelectric crystals represent a particularly interest...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2010-02, Vol.10 (2), p.524-528
Main Authors: Qi, Yi, Jafferis, Noah T, Lyons, Kenneth, Lee, Christine M, Ahmad, Habib, McAlpine, Michael C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biocompatible Materials
Ceramics - chemistry
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Crystallization
Dielectric thin films
Dielectrics, piezoelectrics, and ferroelectrics and their properties
Electricity
Equipment Design
Exact sciences and technology
Lead - chemistry
Materials Testing
Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems
Microscopy - methods
Nanostructures - chemistry
Nanotechnology - methods
Physics
Plastics
Rubber - chemistry
Temperature
Titanium - chemistry
Zirconium - chemistry
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Summary:The development of a method for integrating highly efficient energy conversion materials onto stretchable, biocompatible rubbers could yield breakthroughs in implantable or wearable energy harvesting systems. Being electromechanically coupled, piezoelectric crystals represent a particularly interesting subset of smart materials that function as sensors/actuators, bioMEMS devices, and energy converters. Yet, the crystallization of these materials generally requires high temperatures for maximally efficient performance, rendering them incompatible with temperature-sensitive plastics and rubbers. Here, we overcome these limitations by presenting a scalable and parallel process for transferring crystalline piezoelectric nanothick ribbons of lead zirconate titanate from host substrates onto flexible rubbers over macroscopic areas. Fundamental characterization of the ribbons by piezo-force microscopy indicates that their electromechanical energy conversion metrics are among the highest reported on a flexible medium. The excellent performance of the piezo-ribbon assemblies coupled with stretchable, biocompatible rubber may enable a host of exciting avenues in fundamental research and novel applications.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/nl903377u