Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), which take advantage of wellestablished integrated-circuit manufacturing methods, continue to be an exciting multidisciplinary field with tremendous progress taking place in research and commercialization. The trend toward integration and miniaturization in MEMS and NEMS drives the development of interrelated smart materials such as ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials. Lead zirconate titanate (Pb[Zr x Ti 1±x ]O 3 , PZT) with outstanding piezoelectricity provides an excellent candidate as a smart material for use in MEMS and NEMS. Great efforts have therefore been taken to fabricate PZT micro-and nanostructures by downsizing existing PZT films using conventional microfabrication methods.[1] In the past decade since the discovery of carbon nanotubes, [2] the synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) materials has become the focus of intensive research because of their fundamental characteristics and potential applications. 1D micro-and nanomaterials with various microstructures, such as tubes, [3] belts, [4] wires, [5] and rods, [6] have been prepared by different synthetic routes. [7] For instance, a 1D zinc oxide nanostructure was extensively investigated for its dual semiconducting and piezoelectric properties.[4] Some scientists have attempted to fabricate 1D PZT microstructures by using unconventional methods based on physical or chemical synthesis to provide an alternative and intriguing strategy to overcome fundamental limitations of conventional microfabrication. For example, Wang et al. synthesized PZT fibers with diameters ranging from 500 nm to several micrometers using electrospinning and metallo-organic decomposition techniques.[8] By using sol±gel template electrophoresis synthesis methods, Limmer et al. prepared PZT nanorods with diameters of 70±150 nm and lengths of 10 lm.[9] However, in their methods there are some difficulties in assembly of the PZT fibers or rods for the construction of devices. In this paper, we propose the synthesis of self-assembled PZT microbelts by using a simple method. Long and thin PZT belt-type crystals, 50±150 lm long, 60±300 nm thick, and 1±2 lm wide, were prepared on SrTiO 3 (STO) monocrystal wafers with gold microparticles on the surface of the wafers. Details of the preparation procedure are given in the Experimental section. Figure 1 shows optical microscopy images of the PZT microbelts on STO(100) wafers, which were annealed at 930±970 C for 60 min in air. Well-aligned PZT microbelts with a width of 1±2 lm and a length of over 50 lm were grown on STO(100) substrates. The maximum length of the PZT microbelts reached 150 lm. Because of the limitations of optical microscopy, the microstructures of much finer PZT microbelts are not shown here. Figure 1A shows PZT microbelts annealed at a lower temperature (930 C). All the PZT microbelts developed along the <110> STO direction, being parallel with or perpendicular to each other. However, increasing the annealing temperature could interf...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.