The use of conventional energy will certainly reduce the quality of a nanotechnology."
Bogor (ANTARA News) - Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) students continue to create innovations, and this time they have introduced Nanogenerator Piezoelectric as an independent energy source for nanotechnology.

"Nanogenerator Piezoelectric materials based Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanowire is an independent energy source for nano devices," M Zafur Abror Rajabi, one of the students of IPB, Bogor, said Tuesday.

This innovation was developed by three students of the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MIPA), M Zafur Abror Rajabi, Dedeh Nurhayati, and Zuhdah Simaatul Kubro.

The three students successfully developed Nanogenerator Piezoelectric which is an independent energy source for molecular nano.

Each nanotechnology requires an energy source, Zafur explained. Currently nanotechnology relies on conventional energy sources which are much larger than the nano device itself.

"The use of conventional energy will certainly reduce the quality of a nanotechnology," he said.

Furthermore, Nanogenerator piezoelectric is capable of converting mechanical energy (vibration or pressure) on nanotechnology devices into electrical energy (piezoelectric), he explained.

The energy of motion can come from anywhere in the form of noise (sound) tool, the movement of the wearer, wind, wave and others, according to him.

"The energy of motion is able to reduce the size of nanoscale devices and improve its quality," he said.

The reason for using the material Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is because it has a relatively large piezoelectric coefficient, high Youngs modulus, high piezoelectric tensor, and has a very stable structure, he added.

"ZnO Nanowire is coated on a carbon substrate coated paper using pencil 8B," he said.

Paper is selected because photo paper is stronger and thicker, he added. After going through the carbon coating process, the starting material ZnO coats the paper until flat by using a rotating spin coater.

Paper substrate coated ZnO seed is put in a hydrothermal reactor and then dried. Later ZnO coated paper is arranged in layers resembling a sandwich with two pieces of metal electrodes and an electric current that appears when the ZnO nanowire comes in contact with metal flanking either through pressure or vibration.

"In the future, the nano-generator is expected to help energy independence and become an alternative source of environmentally friendly energy," he said.

The Nanogenerator development Piezoelectric ZnO nanowire is the work of IPB students who are members of the Student Creativity Program.

(Reported by Laily Rahmawati/Uu.B020/INE/KR-BSR/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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