Realizing room-temperature self-powered ethanol sensing of Au/ZnO nanowire arrays by coupling the piezotronics effect of ZnO and the catalysis of noble metal

摘要

By coupling the piezotronics effect of ZnO and the catalysis of noble metal, room-temperature self-powered active ethanol sensing was obtained from Au/ZnO nanowire arrays. The piezoelectric output generated by Au/ZnO nanowire arrays acts not only as power source, but also as response signal to ethanol at room temperature. Upon exposure to 1200ppm ethanol, the piezoelectric output of Au/ZnO nanowire arrays decreased from 1.54 V (in air) to 0.43 V. Our research can stimulate a research trend on the development of the next generation of room-temperature gas sensors and will further expand the scope for self-powered nanosystems.