Synthesis of zinc oxide/carbon fiber composites with improved piezoelectric response by plasma-liquid interaction

Flexible composites based on zinc oxide (ZnO) for piezoelectric sensors have attracted extensive attention. Herein, the zinc oxide/carbon fiber (ZnO/CF) composites with improved piezoelectric response are synthesized by an efficient and simple plasma-liquid interaction strategy. The ZnO lamellar nanostructure on the CF surface can be regulated with different plasma discharge time. Based on the inverse piezoelectric effect, the piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ of the composite is 5.24 p.m./V. This study largely simplifies the fabrication process of ZnO/CF composite and provides a new strategy for coupling piezoelectric materials on flexible substrates to improve piezoelectric response.