An Ultrasonic Fabrication Method for Epoxy Resin/SbSI Nanowire Composites, and their Application in Nanosensors and Nanogenerators

In this manuscript, a new fabrication technology for epoxy resin/antimony sulpho-iodide (SbSI) nanowire composites is presented. SbSI nanowires, with lateral dimensions of 10 nm to 100 nm and lengths up to several micrometres, have been synthesised using ultrasound irradiation. The prepared SbSI nanowires have been bound with epoxy resin in a mass ratio of 1:4, and then ultrasound irradiation has been used again for homogenization of the mixture. The fabricated epoxy resin/SbSI nanowire composites, due to the piezoelectric properties of SbSI (electromechanical coefficient k(33) = 0.9, and piezoelectric coefficient d(V) = 0.9 × 10(−9) C/N) may be used as an active layer in nanosensors and nanogenerators. The preliminary investigations of epoxy resin/SbSI nanowire composites for sound excitation (frequency f = 175 Hz; L = 90 dB), vibrations (f = 24 Hz; A = 1 mm; F = 0.73 N), and shock wave (p = 6 bar), allowed for the determination of the composite’s open circuit voltage: 0.0153 V(RMS), 0.166 V(RMS), and 4.51 V(p-p), respectively. Maximum power output densities of 0.45 nW/cm(3) and 860 nW/cm(3) have been achieved for excitation by sound and vibration, respectively, for a 0.6 mm thick layer of composite.