Nanogenerator based on zinc blende CdTe micro/nanowires

Nanogenerators (NGs) have been developed mainly using wurtzite and proviskite structured materials. Here, we demonstrate the first application of zinc blend structured nanowires (NWs) for NGs, opening a new materials system for harvesting mechanical energy. Free-standing cadmium telluride (CdTe) micro/nanowires (MW/NWs) were synthesized using a facile one-step hydrothermal approach. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates that zinc blende is the major phase compared to wurtzite. Laterally packaged single MW generator can generate up to 0.3 V and 40 nA when a strain is applied on an individual MW. Stability test displays its robust piezoelectric performance. Based on these characteristics of NG, we have demonstrated that the CdTe nanomaterials have potential applications in high-output mechanical energy harvesting. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.