Piezoelectric materials play an increasingly important role in energy harvesters, sensors, and actuators. Flexible and thin piezoelectric films have been demonstrated to provide advanced functionalities and improved performances. However, the research on flexible inorganic piezoelectric thin films has rarely been systematically summarized. Here, we summarize the recent advances in the flexible inorganic piezoelectric thin films, focusing on their structural designs, fabrication techniques, and applications in various practical scenarios. Specifically, different fabrication techniques suitable for diverse inorganic piezoelectric nanostructures are reviewed, including sol-gel, hydrothermal, electrospinning, and other techniques, and the integration process with flexible substrates is further discussed. Biomedical and industrial applications of the flexible piezoelectric thin films are emphasized. Finally, some existing challenges and future perspectives are discussed.
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.