Enhanced output-power of nanogenerator by modifying PDMS film with lateral ZnO nanotubes and Ag nanowires

Abstract

In this paper, a nanogenerator based on flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film modified with semiconductor zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanotubes and conductive Ag nanowires is designed and fabricated. The modified PDMS film consists of semiconductor ZnO nanotubes distributed on a dielectric PDMS film with conductive Ag nanowires covered on the surface of the ZnO nanotubes and another thin PDMS layer encapsulated on the top, which forms the structure of PDMS/Ag/ZnO/PDMS. The Ag nanowires act as multi-antennal electrodes and play an important role in improvement of output power. The performance of the nanogenerator with different modified PDMS films is investigated under different measurement conditions. The output current density and power density of the generator under periodic stress (20 N) are 10 μA cm and 1.1 mW cm⁻², respectively. The instantaneous output current peak can reach as high as 115 μA (23.75 μA cm⁻²) under a pressure of 90 N which can be used to light up 99 commercial green LEDs connected in series. The output power of this modified PDMS-based nanogenerator is much higher than that of previously reported PDMS-based nanogenerators, demonstrating excellent structural advantages.