Piezoelectricity induced by gaseous molecules adsorbed on ZnO nanotubes

DFT simulations were used to investigate the piezoelectric response and changes of ZnO armchair and zigzag nanotubes induced by the adsorption of CO, CO2, and CH4 molecules. It is well known that piezoelectricity can change due to structural deformations that alter the polarizability. This effect ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Marana, Naiara L. [UNESP], Casassa, Silvia, Sambrano, Julio R. [UNESP]
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2022
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
Repository:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/239998
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mseb.2022.115729
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/239998
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:DFT
Gas sensor
Nanotube
Piezoelectricity
Toxic gases
ZnO
Description
Summary:DFT simulations were used to investigate the piezoelectric response and changes of ZnO armchair and zigzag nanotubes induced by the adsorption of CO, CO2, and CH4 molecules. It is well known that piezoelectricity can change due to structural deformations that alter the polarizability. This effect can be used to create a gas sensor in which the signal is associated with changes in piezoelectricity intensity caused by adsorption-induced structural deformation. In the case of armchair nanotubes, piezoelectricity appears with the first adsorbed molecule and decreases as molecule concentration increases, reaching a value that is maintained even after the nanotube symmetry is restored. The zigzag's piezoelectricity grows as the concentration of gas molecules increases. In all cases, ZnO nanotubes turn out to be an efficient piezoelectric gas sensor, able to operate at low concentrations due to their high sensibility.