3D printed ultrahigh aspect ratio lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanostructures for nano-Newton force sensing

Abstract

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) has attracted great attention due to the recognition of its impact on extensive applications in high-resolution force sensing. However, its brittleness and the preparation challenges of ultrahigh aspect ratio nanostructures have hindered their practical application. Here, we present a nanoscale electrohydrodynamic jet 3D printing method capable of tailoring ultrahigh aspect ratio hierarchical PZT nanostructures with controllability, fast, and inexpensive. Thermally in situ curing and vertical shear stress of high viscous jet avoid introducing defects in the post-treatment sintering process and minimize internal defects providing a relatively smooth surface. The printed ultrahigh aspect ratio PZT structure exhibits Young's modulus of 99.4 GPa, which was smaller than the block PZT, greatly improving its flexibility. The experimental results show that it can detect forces in the nano-Newton scale. This finding provides a generally applicable strategy for preparing high-performance ultrahigh aspect ratio nanoscale piezoelectric materials for MEMS devices.