Document Abstract
Nanowires of ferroelectric potassium niobate were grown by filling nanoporous templates
of both side opened anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) through radiofrequency vacuum sputtering for
multisensor fabrication. The precise geometrical ordering of the AAO matrix led to well defined single
axis oriented wire-shaped material inside the pores. The sensing abilities of the samples were studied
and analyzed in terms of piezoelectric and pyroelectric response and the results were compared
for di erent length of the nanopores (nanotubes)—1.3 m, 6.3 m and 10 m. Based on scanning
electronic microscopy, elemental and microstructural analyses, as well as electrical measurements
at bending and heating, the overall sensing performance of the devices was estimated. It was
found that the produced membrane type elements, consisting potassium niobate grown in AAO
template exhibited excellent piezoelectric response due to the increased specific area as compared to
non-structured films, and could be further enhanced with the nanowires length. The piezoelectric
voltage increased linearly with 16 mV per micrometer of nanowire’s length. At the same time the
pyroelectric voltage was found to be less sensitive to the nanowires length, changing its value at
400 nV/m. This paper provides a simple and low-cost approach for nanostructuring ferroelectric
oxides with multisensing application, and serves as a base for further optimization of template based
nanostructured devices.