Electric potential generated in ZnO nanowire due to piezoelectric effect

When a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire is bent, polarization that is perpendicular to its c-axis (i.e. the longitudinal direction of the nanowire) will be induced due to the piezoelectric effect of ZnO crystal. In this paper, based on the theories of the piezoelectric effect and elasticity, we derive the relation between this polarization and the degree of bending, and calculate the potential of the electric field excited by this polarization. The result is in agreement with that of the experiment [Z.L. Wang, J.H. Song, Science 312 (2006) 242].