Vertically aligned ZnO nanowire arrays on the paper substrate are integrated into a novel, sound-driven, piezoelectric nanogenerator device. The intrinsic impedance of the circuit causes phase differences between the input and output signals. For the input sound of around 40 db, an AC output voltage of about 5 mV is achieved. Because of the paper substrate allows the acoustic energy to dissipate, the fabricated device has detected a 4.88 db loss in the input sound signal. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.