US Patent 8179028 - Piezoelectric nanowires

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8179026.html

This patent from the University of Massachusetts teaches forming piezoelectric sensors and actuators of microsized and nanosized dimensions. Claim 1 reads:


1. A device comprising:

a pair of electrodes; and

a nanorod and/or a nanowire;

the nanorod and/or nanowire comprising a piezoelectric and/or pyroelectric polymeric composition;

the pair of electrodes being in electrical communication with opposing surfaces of the nanorod and/or a nanowire;

the pair of electrodes being perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the nanorod and/or a nanowire.