Investigation on zinc oxide coated carbon nanotube : flexible piezoelectric generator

• Main Author: Tay, Hsing Yen.
• Other Authors: Du Hejun
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/53423
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the urgent needs of "green" energy resource, researchers and scientists have been trying to covert waste energy like noise, body movements or even music from the environment into electricity using piezoelectric generators. These generators can be used in small devices to make them portable, wireless and self sustainable. In this report, it presents the fabrication of flexible piezoelectric generator by coating single walled nanotube (SWNTs) thin film network with zinc oxide (ZnO) using sputter deposition. This generator intends to covert mechanical energy to electricity by making use of ZnO's high piezoelectric tensor. With its extraordinary properties like its high tensile strength, SWNTs are able to help in cushioning the mechanical forces that will be applied to the generator and hence increasing the lifespan of the generator. Aside from the fabrication of the generator, a series of tests and analyses were also carried out to understand the piezoelectric properties of the generator. The results indicate that it is a feasible method to fabricate flexible piezoelectric generator by coating single walled nanotube (SWNTs) thin film network with zinc oxide (ZnO).