Fabrication of an eco-friendly composite nanogenerator for self-powered photosensor applications

We report the fabrication of a biocompatible, eco-friendly composite nanogenerator for a self-powered ultraviolet (UV) photosensor. The composite nanogenerator, which consisted of ZnO nanowires and reduced graphene oxide in a polydimethylsiloxane matrix, generated an average peak-to-peak output voltage and current of 15.5 V and 2.26 μA, respectively, with an output power of 35.03 μW under palm impact. Under a periodic foot stamp, an output voltage and current of 5.5 V and 0.63 μA, respectively, were observed. A large-area composite nanogenerator (11 × 10 cm2) was fabricated; the device delivered a maximum output voltage and current of 35 V and 4 μA, respectively. Further, we have demonstrated the capability of the composite nanogenerator to power light-emitting diodes, segmented displays, and liquid-crystal displays. Finally, we constructed a self-powered UV photosensor by combining our composite nanogenerator with a ZnO nanowire photodetector.