Interest in pyroelectrics and piezoelectrics has increased worldwide on account of their unique properties. Applications based on these phenomena include piezo- and pyroelectric nanogenerators, piezoelectric sensors, and piezocatalysis. One of the most interesting materials used in this growing field are A15B16C17 nanowires, an example of which is SbSI. The latter has an electromechanical coupling coefficient of 0.8, a piezoelectric module of 2000 pC/N, and a pyroelectric coefficient of 12 × 10-3 C/m2K. In this review, we examine the production and properties of these nanowires and their composites, such as PAN/SbSI and PVDF/SbSI. The generated electrical response from 11 different structures under various excitations, such as an impact or a pressure shock, are presented. It is shown, for example, that the PVDF/SbSI and PAN/SbSI composites have well-arranged nanowires, the orientation of which greatly affects the value of its output power. The power density for all the nanogenerators based upon A15B16C17 nanowires (and their composites) are recalculated by use of the same key equation. This enables an accurate comparison of the efficiency of all the configurations. The piezo- and photocatalytic properties of SbSI nanowires are also presented; their excellent ability is shown by the high reaction kinetic rate constant (7.6 min-1).
Keywords: A15B16C17 compunds; energy harvesting; nanocomposites; piezoelectrics; sensors.