A MEMS based discharger using nanowires

A new type of nano electromechanical corona discharger using nanowires is presented in this paper for meeting the application in compact, distributed and safe operation. ZnO Nanowires used in the dischargers are synthesized using electric-field-assisted wet chemical method and a layer of gold is deposited on them to enhance their conductivities. The discharger with nanowires as the anode and a thin copper plate as the cathode facing each other is fabricated. The testing results on the discharger show that with nanowires the discharging current in air can be increased nearly 100 times higher compared to that without the nanowires and the breakdown voltage is reduced to hundreds of volts compared with traditional corona dischargers (typically more than kilovolts). In addition, the device has small size and needs lower discharge power and thus with lower hazard.