Theory for the Spontaneous Bending of Piezoelectric Nanoribbons

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Room 129, McBryde Hall

Dr. Carmel Majidi
Princeton University

A novel theory explains the experimentally observed spontaneous deformation of nanometer-thin piezoelectric crystals (nanoribbons) into so-called nanoarcs and nanorings. The theory includes the effects of piezoelectric coupling and free charge depletion and demonstrates that both phenomena are essential for spontaneous nanoribbon bending. Reasonable agreement between theory and experimental data is obtained without the aid of adjustable parameters. Understanding the physical mechanisms that govern spontaneous bending is essential for incorporating nanoribbons into a wide variety of novel devices for sensing, actuation, optoelectronics, and energy harvesting.

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