Amorphous Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ Thin Films for Efficient Piezoelectric Power Generation

Most piezoelectric power generators rely on polycrystalline perovskite oxide thin films fabricated at high temperatures. Here, we report the direct room-temperature deposition of amorphous Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films onto a polymer substrate, enabling efficient bending-driven power generation. Regulation of chemical states via oxygen partial pressure during sputter deposition was crucial for inducing dipolar polarization arising from locally oriented TiO6 octahedra at the short-range scale. The resulting amorphous films exhibited peak output voltage, power, and power density of approximately 40.4 V, 480 μW, and 3.01 × 106 μW cm–3, respectively, surpassing values reported for conventional polycrystalline oxide thin-film cantilevers within our knowledge. The excellent figure of merit of the energy harvester reflects a trade-off between piezoelectric response and relative permittivity. The optimized device further exhibited robust physiological sensing capabilities, highlighting the extended potential of the amorphous thin films for other functional applications.