Seed layer-assisted fabrication of KNbO3 nanowires on Cu foil

Abstract

We demonstrated the fabrication of a cost-effective nanogenerator based on ferroelectric KNbO3 nanowires grown on a seed layer/Cu foil via a hydrothermal process. We controlled the concentration of both KOH and Nb2O5 precursor solutions in order to manipulate the width and length of the KNbO3 nanowires grown on the seed layer/Cu foil. We found that our KNbO3/Cu-based nanogenerator can produce sensing voltages up to 100 mV under an applied force as low as 0.8 N. Even at an extremely low force, our nanogenerator generates a sensing voltage, which can be used to charge implantable devices inside human bodies. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.