A study of flexible piezoelectric generators by sputtering ZnO thin film on PET substrate

Abstract

Flexible technology has recently received much attention in the field of flexible sensors, wearable electronic devices, flexible transparent displays, and energy harvesters. Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film is the preferred material for use in flexible devices due to its environmental friendliness, high electrical performance and low synthesis temperature. In addition, ZnO possesses a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure, causing a piezoelectric effect in the material. This work presents the fabrication of flexible piezoelectric generators using the deposition of ZnO on a PET substrate using sputtering techniques. The fabricated flexible generators are capable of generating an output power of 14 µW through an optimal resistive load of 750 kΩ. An output voltage of 2.00 Vp and a current of 150 μA measured across a 750 kΩ resistor were subsequently obtained.

Keywords:

• Flexible piezoelectrics
• nanogenerators
• zinc oxide
• sputtering
• vibrational energy harvesting

Acknowledgments

This research has been supported by the Synchrotron Light Research Institute. The authors thank P. Pimpawat and K. Changsarn for their help on thin film deposition fabrication. Also, thanks to M. Promsawat for help on proofing this article.