Canlin Ou

Template-Assisted Hydrothermal Growth of Aligned Zinc Oxide Nanowires for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Applications

A flexible and robust piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG) based on a polymer-ceramic nanocomposite structure has been successfully fabricated via a cost-effective and scalable template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method. Vertically aligned arrays of dense and uniform zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) with high aspect ratio (diameter ∼250 nm, length ∼12 μm) were grown within nanoporous polycarbonate (PC) templates. The energy conversion efficiency was found to be ∼4.2%, which is comparable to previously reported values for ZnO NWs. The resulting NG is found to have excellent fatigue performance, being relatively immune to detrimental environmental factors and mechanical failure, as the constituent ZnO NWs remain embedded and protected inside the polymer matrix.

Fully Printed Organic–Inorganic Nanocomposites for Flexible Thermoelectric Applications

Thermoelectric materials, capable of interconverting heat and electricity, are attractive for applications in thermal energy harvesting as a means to power wireless sensors, wearable devices, and portable electronics. However, traditional inorganic thermoelectric materials pose significant challenges due to high cost, toxicity, scarcity, and brittleness, particularly when it comes to applications requiring flexibility. Here, we investigate organic–inorganic nanocomposites that have been developed from bespoke inks which are printed via an aerosol jet printing method onto flexible substrates. For this purpose, a novel in situ aerosol mixing method has been developed to ensure uniform distribution of Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 nanocrystals, fabricated by a scalable solvothermal synthesis method, within a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate matrix. The thermoelectric properties of the resulting printed nanocomposite structures have been evaluated as a function of composition, and the power factor was found to be maximum (∼30 μW/mK2) for a nominal loading fraction of 85 wt % Sb2Te3 nanoflakes. Importantly, the printed nanocomposites were found to be stable and robust upon repeated flexing to curvatures up to 300 m–1, making these hybrid materials particularly suitable for flexible thermoelectric applications.

Enhanced thermoelectric properties of flexible aerosol-jet printed carbon nanotube-based nanocomposites

Aerosol-jet printing allows functional materials to be printed from inks with a wide range of viscosities and constituent particle sizes onto various substrates, including the printing of organic thermoelectric materials on flexible substrates for low-grade thermal energy harvesting. However, these materials typically suffer from relatively poor thermoelectric performance, compared to traditional inorganic counterparts, due to their low Seebeck coefficient, S, and electrical conductivity, σ. Here, we demonstrate a modified aerosol-jet printing technique that can simultaneously incorporate well-dispersed high-S Sb2Te3 nanoflakes and high-σ multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) providing good inter-particle connectivity to significantly enhance the thermoelectric performance of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate structures on flexible polyimide substrates. A nominal loading fraction of 85 wt. % yielded a power factor of ∼41 μW/mK2, which is among the highest for printed organic-based structures. Rigorous flexing and fatigue tests were performed to confirm the robustness and stability of these aerosol-jet printed MWCNT-based thermoelectric nanocomposites.Aerosol-jet printing allows functional materials to be printed from inks with a wide range of viscosities and constituent particle sizes onto various substrates, including the printing of organic thermoelectric materials on flexible substrates for low-grade thermal energy harvesting. However, these materials typically suffer from relatively poor thermoelectric performance, compared to traditional inorganic counterparts, due to their low Seebeck coefficient, S, and electrical conductivity, σ. Here, we demonstrate a modified aerosol-jet printing technique that can simultaneously incorporate well-dispersed high-S Sb2Te3 nanoflakes and high-σ multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) providing good inter-particle connectivity to significantly enhance the thermoelectric performance of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate structures on flexible polyimide substrates. A nominal loading fraction of 85 wt. % yielded a power factor of ∼41 μW/mK2, which is among the highest for printed organic-based st...

Research data supporting "Lead-Free Polycrystalline Ferroelectric Nanowires with Enhanced Curie Temperature"

Figures.zip file contains original SEM images and graphical images included in the main text and the supporting information of the manuscript. The original SEM images contain original scales and beam conditions at which SEM images were taken. SEM images in the manuscript and supporting information may have been taken as a whole or a part of the original images wherever apply. Likewise the scale in the manuscript images have been re‐drawn in order to enhance the clarity of the images, but depict true scale as they were in original. Data Files.zip contains data files for the graphs discussed in the main text and supporting information of the manuscript. Theoretical data. zip contains data file for the XRD plots and DFT theory for figure 5c and figure S1 asap

Research data supporting "Piezoelectric Nylon-11 Nanowire Arrays Grown by Template Wetting for Vibrational Energy Harvesting Applications"

Figures Text.zip file contains original SEM images and graphical images included in the main text of the manuscript. The original SEM images contain original scales and beam conditions at which SEM images were taken. SEM images in the manuscript may have been taken as a whole or a part of the original images wherever apply. Likewise the scale in the manuscript images have been re‐drawn in order to enhance the clarity of the images, but depict true scale as they were in original. Supporting Information.zip contains original SEM images and graphical images included in the supporting information. The original SEM images contain original scales and beam conditions at which SEM images were taken. SEM images in the manuscript may have been taken as a whole or a part of the original images wherever apply. Likewise the scale in the manuscript images have been re‐drawn in order to enhance the clarity of the images, but depict true scale as they were in original. Raw data.xlsx contains data files for the graphs discussed in the main text of the manuscript and the supporting information.