"Piezoelectric nanogenerators based on zinc oxide nanowire arrays," by Zhong Lin Wang and Jinhui Song,
Science, 312(5771): 242-6, 14 April 2006.

[Authors' affiliations: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Peking University, China]

Abstract: "We have converted nanoscale mechanical energy into electrical energy by means of piezoelectric zinc oxide
nanowire (NW) arrays. The aligned NWs are deflected with a conductive atomic force microscope tip in contact mode. The coupling of piezoelectric and semiconducting properties in zinc oxide creates a strain field and charge separation across the NW as a result of its bending. The rectifying characteristic of the Schottky barrier formed between the metal tip and the NW leads to electrical current generation. The efficiency of the NW-based piezoelectric power generator is estimated to be 17 to 30%. This approach has the potential of converting mechanical, vibrational, and/or hydraulic energy into electricity for powering nanodevices."

This 2006 report from Science was cited 25 times in current journal articles indexed by Thomson Reuters during January-February 2008. During that two-month period, only one other non-review paper indexed within the last two years under the heading of chemistry collected a higher number of citations. (As was noted in its previous "Hot Paper" appearance, this interdisciplinary report, although initially coded as chemistry, has also drawn a substantial number of recent citations recorded in physics journals.) Prior to the most recent bimonthly count, citations to the paper have accrued as follows:

November-December 2007: 28 citations
September-October 2007: 22
July-August 2007: 29
May-June 2007: 11
March-April 2007: 19
January-February 2007: 12
November-December 2006: 7
September-October 2006: 2
July-August 2006: 3

Total citations to date: 158

SOURCE: Hot Papers Database (Included with a subscription to the print newsletter Science Watch^®, available from the Research Services Group of Thomson Reuters. Packaged on a CD that is mailed with each Science Watch issue, the Hot Papers Database contains data on hundreds of highly cited papers published during the last two years. User interface permits searching by author, organization, journal, field, and more. Total citations, as well as citations accrued during successive bimonthly periods, can be assessed and graphed. An updated CD containing the most recent bimonthly data is mailed with every new issue of Science Watch, six times a year. The CD also includes an electronic version of the Science Watch issue in HTML format, for personal desktop access.