Piezoelectric Zno Nanostructure For Energy Harvesting

Over the past decade, ZnO as an important II-VI semiconductor has attracted much attention within the scientific community over the world owing to its numerous unique and prosperous properties. This material, considered as a “future material”, especially in nanostructural format, has aroused many interesting research works due to its large range of applications in electronics, photonics, acoustics, energy and sensing. The bio-compatibility, piezoelectricity & low cost fabrication make ZnO nanostructure a very promising material for energy harvesting.

This book covers a range of devices that use piezoelectricity to convert mechanical deformation into electrical energy and relates their output capabilities to a range of potential applications. Starting with a description of the fundamental principles and properties of piezo- and ferroelectric materials, where applications of bulk materials are well established, the book shows how nanostructures of these materials are being developed for energy harvesting applications. The authors show how a nanostructured device can be produced, and put in context some of the approaches that are being investigated for the development of nanostructured piezoelectric energy harvesting devices, also known as nanogenerators. There is growing interest in strategies for energy harvesting that use a variety of existing and well-known materials in new morphologies or architectures. A key change of morphology to enable new functionality is the nanostructuring of a material. One area of particular interest is self-powered devices based on portable energy harvesting. The charging of personal electronic equipment and other small-scale electronic devices such as sensors is a highly demanding environment that requires innovative solutions. The output of these so-called nanogenerators is explained in terms of the requirements for self-powered applications. The authors summarise the range of production methods used for nanostructured devices, which require much lower energy inputs than those used for bulk systems, making them more environmentally friendly and also compatible with a wide range of substrate materials.

Seeking renewable and clean energies is essential for releasing the heavy reliance on mineral-based energy and remedying the threat of global warming to our environment. In the last decade, explosive growth in research and development efforts devoted to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology and nanowires-related nanotechnology have paved a great foundation for new mechanisms of harvesting mechanical energy at the micro/nano-meter scale. MEMS-based inertial sensors have been the enabler for numerous applications associated with smart phones, tablets, and mobile electronics. This is a valuable reference for all those faced with the challenging problems created by the ever-increasing interest in MEMS and nanotechnology-based energy harvesters and their applications. This book presents fundamental physics, theoretical design, and method of modeling for four mainstream energy harvesting mechanisms -- piezoelectric, electromagnetic, electrostatic, and triboelectric. Readers are provided with a comprehensive technical review and historical view of each mechanism. The authors also present current challenges in energy harvesting technology, technical reviews, design requirements, case studies, along with unique and representative examples of energy harvester applications.

Metal oxide nanoparticles exhibit potential applications in energy and environmental fields, such as solar cells, fuel cells, hydrogen energy, and energy storage devices. This book covers all points from synthesis, properties, and applications of transition metal oxide nanoparticle materials in energy storage and conversion devices. Aimed at graduate-level students and researchers associated with the energy and environment sector, this book addresses the application of nontoxic and environmentally friendly metal oxide materials for a clean environment and deals with synthesis properties and application metal oxides materials for energy conversion, energy storage, and hydrogen generation.

Solution Methods for Metal Oxide Nanostructures reviews solution processes that are used for synthesizing 1D, 2D and 3D metal oxide nanostructures in either thin film or in powder form for various applications. Wet-chemical synthesis methods deal with chemical reactions in the solution phase using precursors at proper experimental conditions. Wet-chemical synthesis routes offer a high degree of controllability and reproducibility for 2D nanomaterial fabrication. Solvothermal synthesis, template synthesis, self-assembly, oriented attachment, hot-injection, and interface-mediated synthesis are the main wet-chemical synthesis routes for 2D nanomaterials. Solution Methods for Metal Oxide Nanostructures also addresses the thin film deposition metal oxides nanostructures, which plays a very important role in many areas of chemistry, physics and materials science.Each chapter includes information on a key solution method and their application in the design of metal oxide nanostructured materials with optimized properties for important applications. The pros and cons of the solution method and their significance and future scope is also discussed in each chapter. Readers are provided with the fundamental understanding of the key concepts of solution synthesis methods for fabricating materials and the information needed to help them select the appropriate method for the desired application. Reviews the most relevant wet chemical solution methods for metal oxide nanostructures, including sol-gel, solvothermal, hydrothermal, co-precipitation methods, and more Addresses thin film deposition techniques for metal oxide nanostructures, such as spray-pyrolysis, electrodeposition, spin coating and self-assembly Discusses the pros and cons of each solution method and its significance and future opportunities

Nanostructured Zinc Oxide covers the various routes for the synthesis of different types of nanostructured zinc oxide including; 1D (nanorods, nanowires etc.), 2D and 3D (nanosheets, nanoparticles, nanospheres etc.). This comprehensive overview provides readers with a clear understanding of the various parameters controlling morphologies. The book also reviews key properties of ZnO including optical, electronic, thermal, piezoelectric and surface properties and techniques in order to tailor key properties. There is a large emphasis in the book on ZnO nanostructures and their role in optoelectronics. ZnO is very interesting and widely investigated material for a number of applications. This book presents up-to-date information about the ZnO nanostructures-based applications such as gas sensing, pH sensing, photocatalysis, antibacterial activity, drug delivery, and electrodes for optoelectronics. Reviews methods to synthesize, tailor, and characterize 1D, 2D, and 3D zinc oxide nanostructured materials Discusses key properties of zinc oxide nanostructured materials including optical, electronic, thermal, piezoelectric, and surface properties Addresses most relevant zinc oxide applications in optoelectronics such as light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and sensors

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "ZnO and TiO₂ Based Nanostructures" that was published in Nanomaterials