Nanopiezoelectronics

Nanopiezoelectronics is one of ten of Emerging Technologies 2009 published by MIT Review. It is well-known that piezoelectricity is the ability of some materials such as Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) to generate an electric field or electric potential when it is applied mechanical stress. Nowadays, the piezoelectric is focused on nanotechnology for self-powered devices that do not require replaceable power supplies such as batteries. Prof. Zhong Lin Wang from Georgia Institute of Technology demonstrated to bend zinc oxide nanowire by the probe of AFM. The zinc oxide nanowires could drives an electrical current and the electrical potential is in a range of few millivolts. In fact, zinc oxide nanowires not only exhibit the piezoelectric effect but are semiconductors that can be used to make the basic components of integrated circuits. Therefore, when two important properties are combined, Nanopiezoelectronics can be used electronic device (i.e. sensors) without external source of electricity. See more details>> Nanopiezoelectronics

The technologies from Nanopiezoelectronics in Future.

(Credit: Byran Christie Design)
From>> http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=22118&ch=specialsections&sc=tr10&pg=2)