Large Piezoelectric Coefficient Research Articles

Extremely low loss and high electrical resistivity in CaBi2Nb2O9 high-temperature piezoelectric ceramic by adding WO3

An appropriate amount of WO3 was added into CaBi2Nb2O9 high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics to improve the dense microstructure and enhance the electrical properties. A portion of W ions can be incorporated into the lattice, resulting in an increase in the lattice distortion and spontaneous polarization. As a result, the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics are promoted. Additionally, reducing the concentration of oxygen vacancies can increase the resistivity of ceramics and significantly reduce the dielectric loss. The CBNO-0.375 wt% WO3 sample shows a large piezoelectric coefficient of 17.1 pC/N, a high remnant polarization of 12.60 µC/cm2, a high TC of 951°C and a large electrical resistivity of 1.86 × 106 Ω·cm at 600 °C. Moreover, the dielectric loss at 600 °C maintains a low value of 0.0076, which is one to two orders of magnitude lower than that of CBNO-based ceramics. Therefore, the method of adding WO3 to construct a CBNO ceramic provides a new strategy for high-temperature piezoelectric applications.

Quaternary piezoelectric ceramics with ultra-high mechanical quality factor

The development of piezoelectric ceramics with large piezoelectric coefficient (d33), high Curie temperature (TC) and high mechanical quality factor (Qm) is still a key challenge for practical application for high-power device. Herein, a novel quaternary piezoelectric ceramics of (0.125-x) Pb0.98Sr0.02(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.445PbTiO3-0.43PbZrO3-xPb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (abbreviated as xPMnN-PSMN-PZT) were prepared by the solid-state sintering method. The hard dopant PMnN induced the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) of PSMN-PZT into a tetragonal-rich region. In addition, the XPS and EPR analysis proved the existence of a large amount of oxygen vacancies (Vo••) in PMnN-PSMN-PZT ceramic system. The composition near tetragonal-rich MPB region and the appearance of defect dipoles formed a strong coupling effect on the domain wall motion and leaded to an ultra Qm value. The optimum piezoelectric properties were achieved at x = 9 mol% with d33= 260 pC/N, Qm = 3880, tanδ = 0.009 and TC = 332 °C. A significant internal bias field (Ebias) of 8.83 kV/cm was also observed in 0.09PMnN-PSMN-PZT ceramics. The origin of this excellent piezoelectric properties was explained by the phase structure, piezoelectric and dielectric analysis. This work demonstrated a rational strategy to obtain ultra Qm value for high-power piezoceramics.

London Dispersion Effects on the Structure and Properties of Nonlinear Optical BiB3O6 Crystal.

α-BiB3O6 (BiBO) is an important nonlinear optical (NLO) material with high efficiency for applications in harmonic generations and quantum technology. Owing to its low symmetry and cooperative Bi3+ lone pair arrangement, it has also exceptional large piezoelectric and electro-optic coefficients and strong anisotropies on other material characteristics. Previous theoretical calculations on its physical (mainly optical) properties often gave confusing results. It is found here that London dispersion (LD) tends to stabilize structures with closer pack entities like lone pair heavy ion Bi3+ with large polarizabilities, which is ignored in most previous density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Present study shows that without considering the LD effect, the structure of α-BiB3O6 (BiBO) was predicted with an over-estimated (by over 10 %) unique b-axis while underestimates a and overestimates c in a less amount. Consequently it is not possible to use the calculated structure to obtain meaningful properties of this important material. By applying a modified post-DFT LD correction based on linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) and B3LYP functional, the experimental structure is well reproduced with the theoretical optimized one. Many important material property tensors of BiBO crystal are calculated in unprecedented precisions, including: dielectric constants (static and in THz range), elastic and elasto-optic constants, piezoelectric constants, refractive indices, NLO and electro-optic (EO) coefficients. Among them, theoretical calculation of the refractive indices in the THz range by diagonalizing the clamped-ion dielectric constants was firstly achieved at least for BiBO crystal. The calculation also confirms that BiBO has an exceptional large piezoelectric constant d22=40 pC/N and largest free EO coefficients , , on the order of 10 pm/V among borate crystals. The calculation also reveals that the large free EO coefficients are largely originated from the piezoelectric induced photo-elastic effect and for practical high speed applications only the clamped-ion EO coefficients take effect. The clamped ion EO coefficient of =-4.17 pm/V, =-2.61 pm/V are obtained for the first time and may be consulted if one seeks to design BiBO crystal as a high-speed EO modulator. Furthermore, full tensor matrix of the elasto-optic constants was obtained on the first time. Together with the calculated elastic constants, it can help to design acoustic optic modulating devices with preferable figure of merits 10 times that of traditional quartz crystal.

Large electrostrain achieved in BNKT‐based ceramics by the adjustment of phase boundary with Ba(Sn0.70Nb0.24)O3 addition

AbstractIn the current study, the incorporation of Ba(Sn0.70Nb0.24)O3 (BSN) effectively modifies the phase boundary of the 0.8(Bi0.50Na0.50)TiO3‐0.2(Bi0.50K0.50)TiO3 (BNKT) lead‐free ceramic material, inducing enhanced electrostrain properties at room temperature, particularly results in a “bud‐like” strain profile without negative strain. A comprehensive investigation has been conducted into the microstructure, electrical properties, and electrostrain properties of the above‐mentioned ceramics. The addition of BSN was observed to be well incorporated into the BNKT crystal structure, forming a single perovskite structure according to the X‐ray diffraction pattern. With the increase in BSN solid solution content, the temperature at which the transition from ferroelectric to the relaxor phase occurs shifted from 88.1°C to beneath room temperature (30°C). Specifically, the BNKT‐0.0075BSN ceramic demonstrated a positive strain response of 0.459% along with a large signal piezoelectric coefficient (d33*) of 643 pm/V. Additionally, the strain hysteresis of the BNKT‐0.0175BSN ceramics was only about 3% at 120°C. These experimental findings suggest that BNKT‐xBSN ceramics could be strong contenders for actuators and sensors, presenting promising opportunities for lead‐free ceramic actuator applications.

Scaffold-Based Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride) and Its Copolymers: Materials, Fabrication Methods, Applications, and Perspectives.

Tissue engineering involves implanting grafts into damaged tissue sites to guide and stimulate the formation of new tissue, which is an important strategy in the field of tissue defect treatment. Scaffolds prepared in vitro meet this requirement and are able to provide a biochemical microenvironment for cell growth, adhesion, and tissue formation. Scaffolds made of piezoelectric materials can apply electrical stimulation to the tissue without an external power source, speeding up the tissue repair process. Among piezoelectric polymers, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers have the largest piezoelectric coefficients and are widely used in biomedical fields, including implanted sensors, drug delivery, and tissue repair. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of PVDF and its copolymers and fillers for manufacturing scaffolds as well as the roles in improving piezoelectric output, bioactivity, and mechanical properties. Then, common fabrication methods are outlined such as 3D printing, electrospinning, solvent casting, and phase separation. In addition, the applications and mechanisms of scaffold-based PVDF in tissue engineering are introduced, such as bone, nerve, muscle, skin, and blood vessel. Finally, challenges, perspectives, and strategies of scaffold-based PVDF and its copolymers in the future are discussed.

Modified Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbZrO3-PbTiO3 ceramics with high d33，large Qm and high Tc

The development of piezoelectric ceramics with large piezoelectric coefficient (d33), high Curie temperature (Tc) and high mechanical quality factor (Qm) is still a key challenge for practical application for high-power device. Herein, a series of Sm3+ and Mn2+ ions co-doped 0.15Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-(0.85-x)PbZrO3-xPbTiO3 ceramics were prepared by the solid-state sintering method. The optimum piezoelectric properties were achieved at x = 0.435 mol% with a large d33 ∼ 450 pC/N and a high Qm ∼ 1968 near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), and with high Tc ∼ 296 °C. The origin of this excellent piezoelectric properties was explained by the phase structure, piezoelectric and dielectric analysis. The composition near MPB region and the appearance of defect dipoles leaded to final excellent piezoelectric properties, and made a harmonization between d33, Tc and Qm. This work demonstrated a rational strategy to obtain large d33, high Tc and high Qm for high-power piezoceramics.

Multiscale Structural Engineering Boosts Piezoelectricity in Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9-Based High-Temperature Piezoceramics.

High-temperature piezoelectric materials, which enable the accurate and reliable sensing of physical parameters to guarantee the functional operation of various systems under harsh conditions, are highly demanded. To this end, both large piezoelectricity and high Curie temperature are pivotal figures of merit (FOMs) for high-temperature piezoceramics. Unfortunately, despite intensive pursuits, it remains a formidable challenge to unravel the inverse correlation between these FOMs. Herein, a conceptual material paradigm of multiscale structural engineering was proposed to address this dilemma. The synergistic effects of phase structure reminiscent of a polymorphic phase boundary and refined domain morphology simultaneously contribute to a large piezoelectric coefficient d33 of 30.3 pC/N and a high Curie temperature TC of 740 °C in (LiCeNd) codoped Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9 (NBN-LCN) ceramics. More encouragingly, the system has exceptional thermal stability and is nonsusceptible to mechanical loading. This study not only demonstrates that the high-performance and robust NBN-LCN high-temperature piezoceramics hold great potential for implements under harsh conditions but also opens an avenue for integrating antagonistic properties for the enhancement of the collective performance in functional materials.

Biodegradable ferroelectric molecular crystal with large piezoelectric response.

Transient implantable piezoelectric materials are desirable for biosensing, drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and antimicrobial and tumor therapy. For use in the human body, they must show flexibility, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. These requirements are challenging for conventional inorganic piezoelectric oxides and piezoelectric polymers. We discovered high piezoelectricity in a molecular crystal HOCH2(CF2)3CH2OH [2,2,3,3,4,4-hexafluoropentane-1,5-diol (HFPD)] with a large piezoelectric coefficient d33 of ~138 picocoulombs per newton and piezoelectric voltage constant g33 of ~2450 × 10-3 volt-meters per newton under no poling conditions, which also exhibits good biocompatibility toward biological cells and desirable biodegradation and biosafety in physiological environments. HFPD can be composite with polyvinyl alcohol to form flexible piezoelectric films with a d33 of 34.3 picocoulombs per newton. Our material demonstrates the ability for molecular crystals to have attractive piezoelectric properties and should be of interest for applications in transient implantable electromechanical devices.

Strontium-Containing Piezoelectric Biofilm Promotes Dentin Tissue Regeneration.

It remains an obstacle to induce the regeneration of hard dentin tissue in clinical settings. To overcome this, a P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric film with 2 wt% SrCl2 addition is designed. The biofilm shows a high flexibility, a harmonious biocompatibility, and a large piezoelectric d33 coefficient of 14 pC N-1, all contributing to building an electric microenvironment that favor the recruitment of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and their differentiation into odontoblasts during normal chewing, speaking, etc. On the other hand, the strontium ions can be gradually released from the film, thus promoting DPSC odonto-differentiation. In vivo experiments also demonstrate that the film induces the release of dentin minerals and regeneration of dentin tissue. In the large animal dentin defect models, this piezoelectric film induces in situ dentin tissue formation effectively over a period of three months. This study illustrates a therapeutic potential of the piezoelectric film to improve dentin tissue repair in clinical settings.

Simultaneous increase in piezoelectric response and Curie point in BaTiO3 based Pb-free piezoceramic

Piezoelectric ceramics are used in wide-ranging applications as actuators, transducers, and sensors. For applications at ambient environmental conditions, it is desirable that the piezoelectric material exhibit large piezoelectric coefficient (d33) and possess Curie point well above room temperature. Among the lead-free piezoelectrics, the classical ferroelectric BaTiO3 exhibits Curie point and d33 ∼ 120 °C and 190 pC/N, respectively. Most attempts at improving the d33 of BaTiO3 via chemical modifications significantly reduces the Curie point (Tc). Here we show that it is possible to improve both the d33 and Tc of BaTiO3. We found this possibility while investigating a solid solution of BaTiO3 with BaAlO2.5. An optimum composition, 0.97 BaTiO3-0.03BaAlO2.5 of this solid solution exhibit d33 ∼356 pC/N, Curie point 125 °C, and good thermal stability of the piezo response.

Multipiezo Effect in Altermagnetic V2SeTeO Monolayer.

Strain engineering has been used as an efficient method to modulate various properties of quantum materials and electronic devices. One may establish piezo effects based on a disciplined response to the strain in multifunctional nanosystems. Inspired by a recent theoretical proposal on the interesting piezomagnetism and C-paired valley polarization in the V2Se2O monolayer, we predict a stable altermagnetic Janus monolayer V2SeTeO using density functional theory calculations. It exhibits a novel "multipiezo" effect combining piezoelectricity, piezovalley, and piezomagnetism. Most interestingly, the valley polarization and the net magnetization under strain in V2SeTeO exceed these in V2Se2O, along with the additional large piezoelectric coefficient. The "multipiezo" effect makes Janus monolayer V2SeTeO as a tantalizing material for potential applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, spintronics, and valleytronics.

Microstructural and physical characterizations of (1-x)(0.67BiFeO3+ 0.33BaTiO3+ 1%MnO2)− x(CoFe2O4+ 3%ZnO) magnetoelectric composites

BiFeO3 (BFO) was mixed with BaTiO3 (BTO) to form a solid solution of large piezoelectric coefficient (d33) for the fabrication of magnetoelectric (ME) composites with the Zn-doped CoFeO4 (CFO). The 0.67BFO+0.33BTO solid solution, which was doped with 1 at% MnO2 for lowering leakage current, showed a high d33 of 121 pC/N. However, in the composites made with CFO, a much lower d33 (<42 pC/N) was retained. The microstructure of the composites was featured by the large CFO grains (∼5 μm) embedded in the 0.67BFO+0.33BTO matrix of much finer grains (∼0.5 μm). The CFO grains each had a well-defined morphology with clear boundary discriminating them from the neighboring piezoelectric phase. Both the CFO and piezoelectric grains showed a high crystallinity as indicated by the appearance of clear Kikuchi patterns in electron backscattered diffraction. After reducing DC conductivity of CFO by Zn-doping and the optimization of fractional ratio of the Zn-doped CFO in the composites, a ME voltage coefficient of 81.8 mV/cm-Oe was achieved, which was high among the lead-free particulate ME composites prepared by the conventional solid-state sintering.

Layered Ferroelectric NbOI2 Flakes Toward In‐Plane Anisotropic Self‐Powered Sensing

2D ferroelectric materials have attracted much interest due to their potential for developing flexible self‐powered nanogenerators. Niobium oxide diiodide (NbOI2) has in‐plane anisotropy of electrical properties and large lateral piezoelectric coefficient, which makes it possess high‐performance and unique behavior in flexible sensing. In this work, multidirectional piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) devices using NbOI2 flake are fabricated and excellent energy harvesting and sensing capabilities are found. Specifically, the NbOI2‐based PENG can exhibit a long‐time stable voltage output of 215 mV at a large strain of 1.1%. More importantly, the periodic output signal pattern of the twelve‐electrode NbOI2‐based PENG in six directions is investigated, and this anisotropy provides the possibility of achieving simultaneous signal harvesting in multiple directions. This work broadens the scope of applications of 2D materials in nano‐energy and provides new ideas and insights for further exploration of nano‐energy and smart wearable nano‐electronic devices.

First-principles prediction of intrinsic piezoelectricity, spin-valley splitting and magneto-crystal anisotropy in 2H-VS2 magnetic semiconductor

The piezoelectricity, valley character and magnetic properties of intrinsic ferrovalley 2H-VS2 monolayer are studied using density functional theory. The results suggest that 2H-VS2 monolayer exhibits obvious bipolar magnetic semiconductor characters with Curie temperature (TC) of 278 K, large piezoelectric coefficient d11 of 3.925 pm/V, in-plane magneto-crystal anisotropy (MA) and large valley splitting (ΔKK′) of 75.1 meV. Applying in-plane strain (-6% to 6 %) can well adjust the ΔKK′ and TC from 72 meV to 76.7 meV and from 98 K to 397 K, respectively, resulting an obvious change of electronic structures from bipolar magnetic semiconductor to spin gapless semiconductor phase. The magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of 2H-VS2 monolayer firstly increases and then decreases as the strain increases from −6% to 6 %, which mainly originates from the contribution of V dx2-y2 and dxy orbitals. In addition, 2H-VS2 monolayer retains a large valley-contrasting Berry curvature and non-zero anomalous Hall conductivity, indicating that the transverse velocity of carriers is opposite to the effect of in-plane longitudinal electric field. These results suggest that the 2H-VS2 monolayer can become good candidates for the spintronic and valleytronic applications.

Rock drilling performance of rotary ultrasonic tools incorporating PZT piezoceramic and Mn:PIN-PMN-PT piezocrystal

High performance Mn:PIN-PMN-PT piezocrystal material is investigated to understand if its extraordinary properties can replace the traditional hard piezoceramic material for space exploration applications. A bolted Langevin-style ultrasonic drill tool incorporating a pair of Mn:PIN-PMN-PT piezocrystal rings is built to compare with a same configuration ultrasonic drill tool actuated with a pair of hard piezoceramic rings, which are tuned to the first longitudinal mode (L1) at around 20 kHz. From the characterisation results, it is observed that the piezocrystal material presents significantly greater values of relative permittivity, electromechanical coupling coefficient, and piezoelectric charge coefficient than the hard piezoceramic material. Despite these outstanding properties, the piezocrystal driven ultrasonic drill tool shows similar displacement amplitudes to its counterpart. Nonetheless, the impedance magnitude of the piezocrystal driven ultrasonic drill tool at resonance is a magnitude lower than the piezoceramic actuated drill tool, due to the large piezoelectric charge coefficient d33. Ultrasonic rock drilling experiments suggest that the cutting force for sandstone and marble are greatly reduced, but limestone and tuff are less affected.In general, the piezocrystal driven ultrasonic drill tool demonstrates a marginally improved cutting performance than the piezoceramic actuated drill tool, in terms of lower cutting force and motor power consumption, however, the tool wear appears slightly poorer. The research outcome of this paper indicates that the thickness mode of the piezocrystal rings might not be the optimal form of excitation, which could be due to the piezoelectric losses at high excitation levels, so other excitation conditions and vibration modes will need to be explored to fully adopt the extraordinary material properties of the piezocrystal material.

The enhanced vertical piezoelectricity in Janus C3HFX (X = Si and Ge) monolayers based on the born effective charges dipole-moment

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) piezoelectric materials are widely studied, and the vertical piezoelectric properties of 2D materials are highly required to be known in the related theory research works and experiments, so it becomes very important to explore the intrinsic mechanism of piezoelectricity in the 2D materials. Herein, we systematically study the piezoelectricity of Janus C3HFX (X = Si and Ge) monolayers with semiconductor property, which are carbon-based 2D materials, using the first-principles calculation. The remarkable enhancements on the absolute values of the vertical piezoelectric coefficient of C3HFSi-1 (e33 = 11.27 × 10−10 C/m) and C3HFGe-4 (e33 = −12.78 × 10−10 C/m) are larger than that of C4HF (e33 = −2.28 × 10−10 C/m) by 5 and 6 times, respectively. It indicates that the atom replacement at appropriate positions in the multiatomic monolayer can significantly enhance the vertical piezoelectric properties based on the appropriate distribution of polarization charge. We define the concepts, the Born effective charges center (BECs-center) and the BECs-dipole-moment in this work, to explain these large vertical piezoelectric coefficients’ variation. The larger BECs-dipole-moment will enhance the vertical piezoelectricity for these C3HFX monolayers than that of the C4HF monolayer. These concepts defined in this work will deepen the understanding of the internal physical mechanism about the piezoelectricity.

Optimized electromechanical performance in Aurivillius compounds via hot-pressing

Bismuth layer-structured ferroelectrics (BLSFs) are widely demanded in high-temperature piezoelectric sensors, while their low piezoelectricity-induced low sensitivity of piezoelectric sensors is not appropriate for practical operation conditions. Texturing is an effective way to engineer the performance of piezoelectric ceramics by aligning the polar vectors and increasing poling efficiency. Herein, chemical substitution together with the hot-pressing technique is utilized to improve the piezoelectricity of BTN-based ceramics. Characterizations demonstrate that the grains with (100) orientation as shown in the {001} pole figure and the improved domain switching are the main causes of excellent ferroelectricity (Pr∼17.7 μC/cm2) and large piezoelectric coefficient (d33∼27 pC/N) in the textured BCTNTW-Per ceramic. The BCTNTW-Per ceramic also exhibits high TC (890 °C), low dielectric loss, high electrical resistivity (1.6 ×105 Ω•cm at 600 °C), and excellent thermal stability, demonstrating that the combination of the hot-pressing technique and traditional doping strategy is an effective way to prepare high-performance of BLSFs.

Large piezoelectricity with enhanced thermal stability in BiScO3-BiInO3-PbTiO3 ternary perovskite ceramics

Simultaneously achieving large piezoelectricity and excellent thermal stability in a piezoceramic is highly desired for constructing advanced high-temperature electromechanical coupling devices. Here, a large high-temperature piezoelectric coefficient (d33 = 523 pC/N at 200 °C) with a small fluctuation rate (η ≤ ±10 %) over an ultra-broaden temperature range of 48–342 °C was achieved in novel zBiScO3-xBiInO3-yPbTiO3 (zBS-xBI-yPT) ternary perovskite piezoceramics with a high Curie temperature of 440 °C. The morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) of multiphase coexistence can be driven and optimized in this system, which is mainly responsible for the enhanced piezoelectricity, and the optimal MPB composition is located at x/y/z = 0.010/0.625/0.365. The excellent temperature stability of the optimal MPB sample should be attributed to the increase in the number of thermally stable irreversible non-180° domains. zBS-xBI-yPT perovskite ceramics with excellent comprehensive high-temperature piezoelectric properties exceed many reported lead-based counterparts, and are more suitable for electromechanical coupling applications at harsh elevated temperatures.

Novel Piezo-active 2–1–2 Composites with Sets of Large Hydrostatic Parameters

A 2–1–2 composite with two single-crystal components is studied for the first time to highlight large hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficients dh * and gh *, figure of merit dh *gh *, and electromechanical coupling factor kh *. Each 2–1–2 composite contains layers of domain-engineered [011]-poled relaxor-ferroelectric (1–x)Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 – xPbTiO3 single crystal (x = 0.0475–0.09) and heterogeneous layers being systems of aligned piezoelectric Li2B4O7 single crystal rods in polyethylene, and these rods have an elliptic cylindrical shape. New diagrams show the volume-fraction ranges wherein large values of dh *> 10−9 C/N, dh *gh *> 2.10−10 Pa−1 and kh *≈ 0.5–0.6 are observed.

First-principles study on AgBi(CrO4)2:An effective infrared nonlinear optical compound

The investigation of nonlinear optical (NLO) materials is critically important in developing laser technologies. The AgBi(CrO4)2 which crystallizes in the tetragonal lattice with a space group of I 4¯ is a potential candidate for the infrared (IR) region due to the large birefringence (Δn = 0.18), strong NLO response than the KDP crystal and the high electro-optical coefficients are justified their good performance NLO applications. The investigation of the elastic constant of AgBi(CrO4)2 indicates the ductile nature and the large piezoelectric coefficients make this crystal has great attention as bifunctional material.