Energy generation from piezoelectric thin films: An in situ nanoscale investigation

The ability of piezoelectric materials to convert mechanical input into electrical energy and vice versa is a well documented and accepted phenomenon. While this property has been explored in detail for ceramics and more recently for thin films and nanostructures, most studies have been limited to the macro·scale or micro-scale. This work will report on the in situ electrical measurements carried out during nanoscale mechanical in· dentation, shedding light on the nanoscale electromechanics of polycrystalline piezoelectric thin films.