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Effect of the Dielectric and Mechanical Properties of the Polymer Matrix on ZnO‐Nanowire‐Based Composite Nanogenerators Performance
Author(s) -
Doumit Nicole,
PoulinVittrant Guylaine
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced theory and simulations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.068
H-Index - 17
ISSN - 2513-0390
DOI - 10.1002/adts.202000128
Subject(s) - materials science , permittivity , modulus , composite material , polymer , nanowire , composite number , dielectric , young's modulus , nanotechnology , optoelectronics
The effect of Young's modulus and dielectric permittivity of the polymer matrix in vertically integrated nanogenerators (VING) on their output performance is studied by combining the finite element method and analytical modeling. To conduct this study, an elementary cell is considered, based on one ZnO nanowire (NW) surrounded by the polymer matrix. It is demonstrated that the polymer matrix should have the lowest Young's modulus and permittivity as possible, in order to maximize the output voltage and power. Four different materials, which have already been proposed in literature for such composite VING, are then compared: Parylene C, poly(methyl methacrylate), Al 2 O 3 , and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). Simulation results show that PDMS, which has the lowest values of both Young's modulus and permittivity, gives the highest output performance. Finally, the sensitivity to another design parameter—the surface density of the NWs—is calculated, and it is shown that choosing a polymer material with the lowest Young's modulus and permittivity is more powerful to improve the VING performance.