In the framework of the scientific plan 2009-2013, ZnO nanostructures have been studied at Center for Space Human Robotics (CSHR) Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia as candidates for tactile sensors and energy harvesting applications, such as dye-sensitized solar cells and mechanical harvesting. Part of this thesis work has been devoted to the morphological and structural characterization of all the ZnO nanostructures that have been synthesized at the CSHR. This activity required the use of electron microscopy; in particular, for the research activity reported in this thesis a dual-beam FIB-SEM workstation has been used for the morphological characterization of the samples and preparation of TEM samples, while TEM has been used for the morphological and structural analysis. Among the different ZnO nanostructures, ZnO nanowires are of particular interest for applications, since they have well-defined geometry at the nanoscale and they have controllable crystalline orientation. Part of this research activity has been devoted to the development of procedures for the in-situ electrical characterization of single ZnO nanowires, based on the electron beam and ion-beam induced deposition of contacts and subsequent two-probe electrical characterization performed in the dual-beam FIB-FESEM chamber by micromanipulators
