Enhancing the piezopotential from Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire using p-type polymers

摘要

We have investigated the effects of different p-type polymer layers on the piezoelectric potential from ZnO nanowire (NWs) grown on silver (Ag) coated silicon (Si) substrate by the low temperature chemical synthesis method. Piezoelectric measurement was performed by a conductive atomic force microscope (AFM). In the case of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-Tosylate (PEDOT-Tos), the output voltage is enhanced by about 95 mV, compared to 18 mV with the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) oxidized with poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) layer. The enhancement in the output piezopotential was attributed to the reduction of the screening effect due to free charge carriers. It is suggested that the present method may be one of the best possible alternative ways to improve the piezo-potential output from ZnO NWs nanogenerators.