To be useful in practical applications, our nanogenerator needs to contain an array of nano-wires, all of them continuously generating electricity that can be collected and delivered to a device. And the energy to be converted into electricity has to come in the form of a wave or vibration from the environment so the nano-generator can operate independently and wirelessly. We have developed a novel design that addresses these requirements.

The next challenge was to increase the power of the nanogenerator. Three objectives have to be achieved: eliminate the use of the AFM, make many nanowires generate electricity simultaneously and continuously, and excite the nanowires in an indirect wave, such as an ultrasonic wave. I came out with a new design using a ridged electrode to replace the AFM tips and presented the idea to my postdoctoral assistant, Xudong Wang. It took him about four months of experiments before compiling the first group of data. The signal was rather small. From May to October 2006 we focused on the optimum packaging of the nanogenerator to enhance its output. By the end of the year we realized that the nanogenerator could at last be reported to the scientific community.

Our experimental setup provided the first demonstration of continuous direct current produced by a piezoelectric nanogenerator. It consists of an array of parallel zinc oxide nanowires and a platinum-coated silicon electrode with a ridged surface in place of the microscope’s tip. Coating the electrode with platinum both enhances its conductivity and causes it to act like a diode that allows current to flow in only one direction, from metal to semiconductor. The electrode is placed above the nanowire array at a controlled distance and can be moved laterally so that it bends the nanowires from side to side. Thanks to its surface ridges, the electrode acts like an array of aligned microscope tips.

Flexible Future
Since January 2007 we have been fully involved in improving our nanogenerator. The ceramic or semiconductor substrates that we initially used for growing zinc oxide nanowires are hard and brittle, for instance, making them unsuitable for applications that require a foldable or flexible power source, such as biosensors implanted in muscles or joints, or power generators built into shoes.

Here is where conductive polymers can provide a substrate that is likely to be biocompatible. In experiments we discovered that many available flexible plastic substrates are suitable for growing the zinc oxide nanowire arrays, which ultimately could find applications in portable and flexible electronics. Because of the flexibility of the substrate, the nanowire surface profile was wavy, causing some missed contacts. We believe that providing suitable bonding strength between the nanowires and substrate as well as optimizing the wire spacing will be important in increasing discharge efficiency.

Although our approach has demonstrated the principle of the nanogenerator, we must drastically improve its performance to make it practical. All the nanowires must generate electricity simultaneously and continuously, and all the electricity must be effectively collected and distributed. A large-scale method for growing zinc oxide nanowires can be cost-effective because it does not require expensive high-temperature manufacturing processes. Hurdles that lie ahead in our research include learning how to grow perfectly uniform arrays of nanowires that all produce electricity and how to extend their working life. The lifetime of the current nano-generator is about 50 hours. The main reason for the device’s failure is likely the packaging technology for assembling the top electrode and the nanowire arrays. If the electrode presses on the nanowires too firmly, for example, no current will be generated. We are working hard to improve the packaging.

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