We report on fully flexible and transparent piezoelectric touch sensors based on ZnO nanowires (NWs). Their piezoelectric properties are further enhanced by incorporating BaTiO3 into the capping layer on nanowires. Flexibility is improved by a highly transparent carbon nanotubes–silver nanowires electrode. A BaTiO3‐based capping layer on ZnO nanowires demonstrates a large increase of the output voltage (∼3.3 V) from the touch sensor compared to the voltage (∼50 mV). Mechanical bending tests reveal that the BaTiO3‐added capping layer did not show significant degradation in change of resistance. Our results suggest that the piezoelectric touch sensors are promising for next‐generation flexible touch sensors, wearable, and rollable touch panels.

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The highly sensitive spin‐valve devices integrated with a microfluidic channel have been studied for cell counting in a chip‐cytometer. The presence or absence of a single magnetic bead was successfully detected by direct measurement of fringe fields emanating from magnetic beads using spin‐valve devices. The real‐time detection was also successfully confirmed by the direct measurement of magnetic fields generated from the magnetic beads passing an active sensing area of a spin‐valve device integrated with a microfluidic channel. Our results show the possibility of implementing a chip‐cytometer for biological applications using the highly sensitive spin‐valve devices integrated with a microfluidic device. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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