Sun A Yang

Ferroelectricity in highly ordered arrays of ultra-thin-walled Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 nanotubes composed of nanometer-sized perovskite crystallites.

We report the first unambiguous ferroelectric properties of ultra-thin-walled Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 (PZT) nanotube arrays, each with 5 nm thick walls and outer diameters of 50 nm. Ferroelectric switching behavior with well-saturated hysteresis loops is observed in these ferroelectric PZT nanotubes with P r and E c values of about 1.5 microC cm (-2) and 86 kV cm (-1), respectively, for a maximum applied electric field of 400 kV cm (-1). These PZT nanotube arrays (10 (12) nanotubes cm (-2)) might provide a competitive approach toward the development of three-dimensional capacitors for the terabyte ferroelectric random access memory.

Nanogenerators consisting of direct-grown piezoelectrics on multi-walled carbon nanotubes using flexoelectric effects

We report the first attempt to prepare a flexoelectric nanogenerator consisting of direct-grown piezoelectrics on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (mwCNT). Direct-grown piezoelectrics on mwCNTs are formed by a stirring and heating method using a Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT)-mwCNT precursor solution. We studied the unit cell mismatch and strain distribution of epitaxial PZT nanoparticles, and found that lattice strain is relaxed along the growth direction. A PZT-mwCNT nanogenerator was found to produce a peak output voltage of 8.6 V and an output current of 47 nA when a force of 20 N is applied. Direct-grown piezoelectric nanogenerators generate a higher voltage and current than simple mixtures of PZT and CNTs resulting from the stronger connection between PZT crystals and mwCNTs and an enhanced flexoelectric effect caused by the strain gradient. These experiments represent a significant step toward the application of nanogenerators using piezoelectric nanocomposite materials.

Synthesis and Characterization of Piezoelectric Nanocapsules for Drug Delivery

Hollow nanocapsules have the potential to be used as drug delivery carriers because of the high drug loading capacity of their inner void space. In this paper, we report a preliminary study of the synthesis of piezoelectric PZT nanocapsules (PZT-NCs). The hollow PZT-NCs were successfully fabricated by a nanoimprint method with a sol-gel process. A porous alumina membrane (PAM) was used as a mold. The PZT-NCs have a polycrystalline structure and consist of crystallites with a size in the range of 2–5 nm.