Piezoelectric mechanical nano-sensors for soft robotic grip sensor

• Main Author: Law, Jovan Kai Jian
• Other Authors: Alfred Tok Iing Yoong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Materials
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/166559
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been a focus of research in electronics, optics, and photonics since its piezoelectric properties were discovered in 1960. With the emergence of nanotechnologies in recent decades, the research has ventured into a new frontier, where nanostructured materials give rise to the possibility of improvement to performance to electrical and optical devices, greatly boosting convenience in daily life. The purpose of this project was to obtain a piezoelectric thin film through the growth of vertically aligned uniform ZnO nanorods with a relatively high aspect ratio using the hydrothermal method. HMTA and Zinc acetate were used as the precursors to synthesize the ZnO nanorods. The effects of rare earth dopant concentrations, namely Neodymium, on the characteristics of the synthesized ZnO nanorods was then investigated through a series of experiments and analysed using FESEM, EDX, XRD, XPS and PFM.