Chapter 7 - Zinc Oxide Nanowire Arrays on Flexible Substrates: Wet Chemical Growth and Applications in Energy Conversion

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire synthesis strategies pertinent to flexible organic substrates. The different strategies have been used to grow ZnO nanowire arrays on flat flexible substrates, such as polyimide and polystyrene, and curved flexible substrates, such as microfibers. By using electron beam lithography (EBL) or photolithography, a patterned growth of ZnO nanowire arrays could also be achieved on both flat substrates and microfibers. Furthermore, based on vertically aligned ZnO nanowire arrays on the flexible substrates, innovative nanotechnology-enabled methods for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy have been demonstrated, with the aim of building self-powered nanosystems. The focus was on the fundamental mechanism of the piezoelectricity and nanogenerators. The core of the nanogenerator is based on coupling the piezoelectric and semiconducting properties of ZnO nanowires and the presence of a Schottky barrier at the metal–semiconductor interface.