  The composites of strontium-doped lanthanum manganite (LSMO) with zinc oxide
(ZnO) are candidate materials for energy harvesting by virtue of their magnetic
and piezoelectric characteristics. They could be used to harvest energy from
stray sources, such as the vibrations and electromagnetic noise from
transformers and compressors within electrical grid power stations to power
small diagnostic sensors, among other applications. The LSMO/ZnO nanocomposites
were made by: (i) milling the two bulk powders and, (ii) a wet chemical process
which resulted in core-shell structures. The electrical, piezoelectric, and
magnetoelectric properties showed strong dependence on the fabrication method.
Growth of ZnO nanopillars on the particulate core of LSMO surface appears to
have improved the piezoelectric properties. Moreover, the chemical bath
deposition process can be easily modified to incorporate dopants to augment
these properties further.
