Improving Acoustoelectric Conversion Performance with Oriented PAN Nanofibers and Mesh Electrodes

This study develops an acoustoelectric device fabricated from oriented electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers and a plastic mesh electrode with hollow squares. We found that by varying the square size and dispersion within the mesh electrode, the acoustoelectric response profile can be tuned and the electrical output can be improved. The device achieves an output voltage of 97.3 ± 2.4 V and 19.6 ± 1.1 μA with a power of 396.4 ± 23.2 μW (density 33.0 μW/cm2), exceeding the performance of previously reported single-component nanofiber acoustoelectric devices. The high electrical power enabled the miniaturization of the device. These exceptional properties are due to the combination of aligned nanofibers with rationally structured mesh electrodes. The square profile within the mesh electrodes also influenced the internal impedance of the device. We expect that these devices will be used to develop miniature, high-power acoustoelectric devices for sound sensing and power generation applications.