Piezoelectric Structures Research Articles

Energy Harvesting Using Optimized ZnO Polymer Nanocomposite-Based 3D-Printed Lattice Structure

A 3D-printable polymer can provide an effective solution for developing piezoelectric structures. However, their nanocomposite formulation and 3D printing processability must be optimized for fabricating complex geometries with high printability. In the present study, we optimized the 3D-printable piezoelectric composite formulation for developing complex geometries by an additive manufacturing approach. The zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomaterial was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The ZnO loading in the 3D-printed flexible resin was optimized to exhibit good interfacial adhesion and enable 3D printing. The lattice structure was fabricated to improve the piezoelectric response compared with the solid structure. The lattice structure block printed with 10 wt% ZnO showed a good piezoelectric response, with a linear increase in the generated output voltage for an increase in force. The maximum power density of 0.065 μW/cm2 was obtained under 12 N force at 1 Hz. The fabricated structure generated a peak–peak voltage of ~3 V with a foot heel strike.

A viscoelastic harvester-absorber for energy generation and vibration control

Abstract A vibration energy harvester harnesses the oscillatory movement and
converts it into electrical energy. On the other hand, a (dynamic) vibration absorber
dissipates the mechanical energy of a host structure (primary system). The proposal for
a harvester-absorber device (HAD), comprinsing a piezoelectric element (conventional
harvester) bonded with a viscoelastic layer and a steel constrained layer, is based on the
dual purpose of generating energy and at the same time reducing the vibratory response
of the primary system. Introducing a viscoelastic dissipative layer in a conventional
harvester, also offers the advantage of simultaneously reducing wear on the piezoelectric
element, thereby extending its lifespan and preventing fatigue-related breakage. The
paper presents a model of a harvester-absorber built from a bimorph piezoelectric
beam, a layer of viscoelastic material (E-A-R C1002-01PSA) and a beam of steel, which
acts as a constrained layer. A lumped parameter model is proposed for the theoretical
description of the HAD which is successfully used to experimentally determine its
parameters. After that, and using the equivalent stiffness concept, the HAD was
coupled to a free-free beam with two masses at its ends to study its perfomance over a
real host structure. The inertance of the composite system and voltage/force frequency
response function of the HAD were obtained and compared with experimental results.
The accuracy of the results justifies and validate the model which has the advantage
of simplicity and can contribute to reducing wear and increasing the lifespan of brittle
piezoelectric structures.

Physical Sensors Based on Lamb Wave Resonators

A Lamb wave is a guided wave that propagates within plate-like structures, with its vibration mode resulting from the coupling of a longitudinal wave and a shear vertical wave, which can be applied in sensors, filters, and frequency control devices. The working principle of Lamb wave sensors relies on the excitation and propagation of this guided wave within piezoelectric material. Lamb wave sensors exhibit significant advantages in various sensing applications due to their unique wave characteristics and design flexibility. Compared to traditional surface acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) sensors, Lamb wave sensors can not only achieve higher frequencies and quality factors in smaller dimensions but also exhibit superior integration and multifunctionality. In this paper, we briefly introduce Lamb wave sensors, summarizing methods for enhancing their sensitivity through optimizing electrode configurations and adjusting piezoelectric thin plate structures. Furthermore, this paper systematically explores the development of Lamb wave sensors in various sensing applications and provides new insights into their future development.

Quasi-closed diaphragm based piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer with reduced Q and stress sensitivity for in-air rangefinding

To improve the performance of the Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (PMUT) based rangefinder and decrease its stress sensitivity, a novel design with quasi-closed structure is proposed. It adopts a circular piezoelectric composite diaphragm structure with clamped boundary, in which all the deposited stack layers in its central region are intentionally removed and additional cross-slits are created into the remaining silicon device layer. Due to the reduced mass and the enhanced thermal-viscous damping at slits, a 35.2 % decrease in quality factor Q has been achieved in the proposed PMUT when compared with the conventional design, resulting in a distinctly reduced blind area from 231.3 mm to 170.7 mm. At the same time, the proposed quasi-closed PMUT facilitates the release of accumulated stress in the device structure during fabrication and operation. As a result, an approximate 50 % reduction in frequency deviation between different as-fabricated PMUTs across the same wafer has been successfully obtained. Moreover, due to the increased linear operation range, the developed bare PMUT chip demonstrates a maximum detection distance of 3 m at the operation frequency of 71.5 kHz under 40 Vpp driving voltage. Given the advantages of lower Q, insensitivity to stress, good fabrication consistency and large linear operation range, the proposed quasi-closed PMUT design can well address the requirements on small blind area and large detection range for distance sensing applications.

RFOR-DQHFEM: Hybrid relaxed first-Order reliability and differential quadrature hierarchical finite element method for multi-physics reliability analysis of conical shells

In this current work, a hybrid reliability analysis and theoretical frequency technique are suggested for the reliability response of conical shells. Two levels of analyses are proposed as the main loop of the reliability method for finding the failure probability and the second level applied in the main loop for giving the performance function of frequency applied in conical shell structures with multi-physics vibration analysis. A dynamical adjusting procedure is proposed for computing the relaxed factor using the enough descent condition inside the reliability method. The superior convergence rate is considered for selecting the relaxed factor of the proposed first-order reliability method named RFORM. An elastic-electro-mechanical model based on the Higher-Order Shear Deformation Theory (HSDT) is extended for frequency analysis of conical shells. The innovative numerical procedure named Differential Quadrature Hierarchical Finite Element Method (DQHFEM) as a robust framework for giving the vibration behavior of studied mechanical structures is applied for solving motion equations. The developing DQHFEM and RFORM are applied for the laminated, nanocomposite, and piezoelectric conical shell structures with multi-source uncertainties. Increasing the volume percentage of nanoparticles from 0% to 10% significantly enhances the reliability index, with carbon nanoparticles showing a 132% increase, silica nanoparticles showing a 97% increase, and other nanoparticles showing an approximate 40% increase. Also, as moisture content increases from 0% to 30%, the reliability index for a thickness-to-large-radius ratio of 0.2 drops by about five times. Excessive moisture levels (above 20%) result in a negative reliability index, indicating a hazardous condition.

Simulation and fabrication of a 20 kHz single-beam transducer

Abstract With the vigorous development of underwater acoustic technology in China, underwater acoustic transducers are constantly moving towards broadband, low-frequency, and high-power directions. How to obtain piezoelectric transducers with lower frequencies is still a research direction that scholars from various countries are striving to study. This article mainly studies and manufactures a 20 kHz single-beam piezoelectric transducer, using the classic Tonpilz transducer structure. Firstly, the Tonpilz transducer is theoretically analyzed using the classical equivalent circuit method. Secondly, the transducer is analyzed using ANSYS finite element analysis software to study the influence of piezoelectric ceramics on the frequency of the transducer, and the size of the piezoelectric ceramics is optimized to determine the size of the piezoelectric ceramic structure of the transducer. The working frequency of the transducer was calculated using software, and it was determined that the working frequency was approximately 20 kHz.

Unlocking enhanced piezoelectric performance through 3D printing of particle-free ceramic piezoelectric complex structures and metamaterials

Piezoelectric materials have found widespread use in miniaturized sensors and actuators due to their ability of mutual conversion of mechanical and electric energy. However, current fabrication techniques for these materials are limited to either bulky structures or thin films, restricting the potential that could arise from developing devices with more intricate geometries. Here, we have developed particle-free piezoelectric ink and successfully employed in 3D printing complex barium titanate (BTO) devices using Digital Light Processing technology. The sol–gel process overcomes the viscosity and light scattering issues associated with the slurry traditionally used in 3D printing of piezoelectric ceramic materials. Printed BTO exhibits a remarkable piezoelectric coefficient of 50 pm/V and is utilized to create 3D micrometric structures for applications as both active devices, such as actuators, and passive devices, including displacement sensors and energy harvesters. Furthermore, the flexibility in device fabrication enabled us to 3D print metamaterial piezoelectric structures, designed to concentrate mechanical stress, thereby enhancing the electrical response compared to conventional bulk structures. This research not only advances the field by overcoming fabrication challenges but also opens avenues for creating innovative devices. The design freedom afforded by additive manufacturing technology further underscores the potential for groundbreaking developments in this domain.

Electric–Mechanical coupling analysis of two-dimensional piezoelectric heterogeneous materials in flexible electric devices with extended multiscale isogeometric analysis

Piezoelectric heterogeneous materials are widely used in flexible electronic device design, enhancing sensitivity to external stimuli like pressure and acceleration. Despite their usefulness, analyzing these inherently periodic structures poses significant computational challenges. In response, this paper presents a multiscale isogeometric analysis approach tailored for simulating piezoelectric materials. We introduce an electric–mechanical coupling model using isogeometric analysis (IGA) for two-dimensional piezoelectric membrane structures, assuming the plane stress hypothesis. Our proposed algorithm enables precise calculation of both displacement and electric potential solutions, demonstrating superior convergence properties compared to traditional finite element methods. Furthermore, we extend this approach to multiscale isogeometric analysis for computing numerical solutions in porous structures and heterogeneous composite piezoelectric materials under tensile and bending conditions. Through rigorous numerical testing, we evaluate the proposed extended multiscale isogeometric analysis method, showcasing its efficacy in achieving a balance between computational efficiency and simulation accuracy. This IGA-based electro-mechanical coupling model and numerical algorithm pave the way for more streamlined and precise simulations of piezoelectric materials within the context of flexible electronic devices.

High Order Rayleigh-Type SAW Devices for Advanced 5G Front-ends with Improved Performance

Abstract This paper presents a piezoelectric layered structure composed of a rotated LiNbO3 thin film combined with a diamond film for improved comprehensive performance SAW devices. Theoretical analysis of SAW resonator on the proposed structure is performed to calculate its SAW characteristics including electromechanical coupling coefficient (K2 ), frequency (f), and quality factor (Q). It is found that a high-order Rayleigh mode is effectively excited and exhibits not only high frequency but also large K2 and high Q. The influences of the Euler angles, layer stack configurations of LiNbO3, and the electrode on the SAW properties are investigated systematically to optimize the device performance of the proposed structure. The results show the resonator can operate at frequency of 6.6 GHz with a large K2 of 13.58% and high Q of 2134, which makes the proposed layered structure a good potential solution for high-performance wideband SAW filters operating over 5 GHz.

Bi-doped initiates the crystal structure reconfiguration of Aurivillius, boosts piezoelectric response, and achieve PMS activation and antibiotic degradation in Bi2LaNbTiO9-BiOBr heterojunctions

Piezo-photocatalysis has been widely accepted as a research strategy for environmental treatment. However, the outstanding issues of synergistic pressure response and charge transfer are still the difficulties in this area, so it is crucial to improve these points. Doping modification of piezoelectric materials is a well-established method to enhance the piezoelectric response and promote charge transfer by modulating the crystal structure. In this study, the crystal structure of Bi4Ti3O12 has been reconstructed by double doping substitution at A and B sites, which realizes the layer change of perovskite structure and the structural distortion of MO6 (M = Ti, Nb). This change in crystal symmetry effectively enhances the piezoelectric response of the material and combined with the construction of Bi2LaNbTiO9-BiOBr (BLNT-BOB) heterojunctions, the charge distribution is dramatically improved, and the charge transfer becomes easier. Under the dual effect of heterojunction and piezo-photocatalytic coupling, the catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance, and the degradation rate of BhB reached 97.24 % within 20 min, After PMS activation, the degradation rate reached 98.65 % in 16 min, which was higher than that of BLNT (59.13 %) and BOB (46.81 %), and the reaction kinetics were improved by 5.3-fold and 7.4-fold. It also showed good degradation efficiency in the treatment of antibiotics, and the soybean sprout culture experiment provided a strong proof of the applicability of the catalyst in multiple pollutants and biocompatibility. This work provides valuable insights for designing piezoelectric photocatalytic structures and analyzing the activation mechanism of PMS.

Active Vibration Control of Flexible Structures Based on Piezoelectric Materials

With the rapid development of China's space industry, flexible structures are more and more widely used in spacecraft development, and vibration control has become the main challenge of spacecraft stability. In this paper, the vibration control of spacecraft flexible structure is taken as the research goal, the basic characteristics and piezoelectric equations of piezoelectric materials are systematically introduced, the modeling and active vibration control of piezoelectric flexible structure are studied, and the vibration control of piezoelectric flexible structure is established. In this paper, an experimental platform for active control is built, and vibration measurement and control experiments are carried out on the experimental platform, which verifies the effectiveness of PID control algorithm based on BP neural network for vibration control, provides theoretical data support for active vibration control of engineering piezoelectric structures, and also provides reference for the research of similar systems with engineering practicability in the future.

Mechanic-electro coupling overlapping finite element method for piezoelectric structures

Mechanic-electro coupling overlapping finite element method for piezoelectric structures

Active disturbance rejection control for piezoelectric cantilever beam with time delay

This Letter presents an active control method for the vibration of piezoelectric structures. First, a controller based on nonlinear extended state observer is designed to improve the disturbance rejection capability of the vibration structure. Additionally, an improved nonlinear active disturbance rejection control (IMNADRC) method is combined with Smith predictor for time delay compensation, resulting in Smith predictor-based IMNADRC. Finally, numerical simulations and experiments are carried out for active vibration suppression of piezoelectric beam under fixed harmonic excitation and variable harmonic excitation, respectively. The results show that the proposed method has good control effect on structural vibration suppression and is highly adaptable to various external excitations.

Inverse design of TPMS piezoelectric metamaterial based on deep learning

Piezoelectric metamaterials are a class of composite structural materials with a piezoelectric effect that achieve efficient coupling between electrical and mechanical energy through their unique microscopic design. Typically, the tailoring of cellular architectures paves the way for unlocking the potential to achieve unprecedentedly designed materials with specific properties. We have developed three different inverse design frameworks for metamaterials, using deep learning (DL) techniques and underpinned by Bayesian optimisation. These frameworks reveal precise one-to-many correlations between material properties and geometric parameters within the triple periodic minimal surface (TPMS) piezoelectric metamaterial. For the first time, we have introduced the Progressive Latin Hypercube Sampling (PLHS) method to the inverse design process of metamaterials, highlighting the effectiveness of uniform sampling to improve the efficiency of deep learning models. The conditional variational autoencoder (cVAE), the conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) and the multilayer perceptron (MLP) are studied for comparative analysis. All three models incorporate an inverse design network and a feature predictor to construct a continuous latent representation of a large number of hybrid TPMS (H-TPMS). After extensive training, the models can generate various piezoelectric porous structures that accurately meet the required material property parameters. Our results demonstrate the high accuracy of cVAE in inverse design, with 98.92% agreement for piezoelectric values and 96.44% agreement for mechanical properties. The three inverse design frameworks show different generalisation capabilities, with cVAE performing best. This study thoroughly analyses the strengths and limitations of each model, providing valuable insights for researchers seeking inverse design recommendations.

Piezoelectric-based smart structures for aero-engine blade: Piezoelectric layout optimization and vibration suppression tests

To promote the use of piezoelectric smart structures in aero-engine blades, this paper introduces a novel method for optimizing the layout of piezoelectric elements on the blade's surface and an active vibration control method, along with vibration suppression tests. A preprocessing method is introduced for the point cloud data of in-service blades to reconstruct the blade surface. An improved parameter-adaptive differential evolution algorithm is proposed to optimize the layout of piezoelectric actuators and sensors and accurately identify the hysteresis nonlinear model of piezoelectric elements. A Hammerstein model is constructed by cascading an asymmetric Bouc-Wen model with an ARX model to describe the rate-dependent hysteresis nonlinear characteristics of piezoelectric elements. An improved variable step-size FxLMS algorithm is proposed to balance the relationship between convergence speed and steady-state error in the control algorithm. The proposed layout optimization and vibration control algorithm are validated experimentally on an experimental platform under various disturbances, with results showing improved performance of the proposed VSS-FxLMS algorithm in terms of convergence and efficiency.

Research on the flexural property of composite laminates with embedded PZT

The composite laminate embedded with piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5A) synthesizes the functional characteristics of a sensor such as damage monitoring and actuation. However, for composite laminates, PZT components belong to foreign impurities, which may destroy the integrity of the structure and damage the mechanical properties of the structure to some extent. In order to ensure the safety and reliability of the structure, this study revealed the influence of composite laminates embedded with PZT components on the flexural property through experiments and simulations. In the simulation, the shape of the resin enrichment zone was considered in combination with experimental observation. The results show that the error in the numerical prediction was less than 5%. Based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, the approximate symmetric layout of PZT in the laminate is obtained, which can reduce the influence of embedding on the bending performance of the structure. These results can provide reference and research ideas for the mechanical properties analysis of piezoelectric ceramic embedded structures.

Three-dimensional vibration analysis of multilayered composite and functionally graded piezoelectric plates and shells

In the present paper, a coupled 3D exact electro-elastic shell model for Functionally Graded (FG) and composite piezoelectric structures is proposed. Primary variables of the electro-elastic model are the electric potential and the three displacement components. The model allows to evaluate the piezoelectric effect in terms of frequencies and vibration modes. Both closed and open circuit configurations are analyzed and compared. The 3D equilibrium equations and the 3D divergence electric displacement equation for spherical shells give the set of partial differential equations for the electro-elastic problem. The proposed model for spherical shells automatically degenerates into simpler models for plates and cylindrical shells via properly considerations on radii of curvature along in-plane directions. The orthogonal mixed curvilinear coordinates α, β and z are employed. The partial differential governing equations have constant coefficients considering fictitious layers and they are solved using the Navier harmonic form and the exponential matrix method. These features lead to an exact solution for simply-supported boundary conditions. Free vibration analyses are conducted and circular frequencies for the first three thickness vibration modes are computed. After a global assessment phase to verify the correctness of the developed model, new benchmarks are proposed: different thickness ratios and material configurations are investigated. The present work can be intended as a reference general solution for those scientists interested in the study of piezoelectric structures via 2D analytical and numerical formulations.

Hydrodynamic force characterization and experiments of underwater piezoelectric flexible structure

The unsteady hydrodynamics of underwater flexible structures internally actuated by smart materials are drawing growing attention. In this study, the dynamic measurement and characterization of hydrodynamic forces acting on flexible structures actuated by macro fiber composites (MFC) are performed. A measurement system composed of a cantilevered transducer and a laser sensor is proposed for dynamically acquiring the induced hydrodynamic force. The parameter indexes of the measurement system are carefully determined to achieve the requirements of high resolution, high sensitivity and good anti-interference of the designed measurement system. Calibration experiments demonstrate the good measuring performances. Then, the relationship between the hydrodynamic force and the actuation frequency is explored using the data obtained from the designed measurement system. Moreover, by decomposing the measured hydrodynamic force, it is found that the added mass component shares similar behaviors with the hydrodynamic force, whereas the hydrodynamic damping component initially increases and then decreases across the explored ranges. Finally, manageable formulas for these components in the forms of hydrodynamic function are developed, and explicit expressions for the Morison’s formula are obtained. These findings are meaningful for the realization of flexible structures with the actuation of smart materials in marine applications.

Piezoelectric Micromachined Microphone with High Acoustic Overload Point and with Electrically Controlled Sensitivity.

Currently, the most advanced micromachined microphones on the market are based on a capacitive coupling principle. Capacitive micro-electromechanical-system-based (MEMS) microphones resemble their millimetric counterparts, both in function and in performance. The most advanced MEMS microphones reached a competitive level compared to commonly used measuring microphones in most of the key performance parameters except the acoustic overload point (AOP). In an effort to find a solution for the measurement of high-level acoustic fields, microphones with the piezoelectric coupling principle have been proposed. These novel microphones exploit the piezoelectric effect of a thin layer of aluminum nitride, which is incorporated in their diaphragm structure. In these microphones fabricated with micromachining technology, no fixed electrode is necessary, in contrast to capacitive microphones. This specificity significantly simplifies both the design and the fabrication and opens the door for the improvement of the acoustic overload point, as well as harsh environmental applications. Several variations of piezoelectric structures together with an idea leading to electrically controlled sensitivity of MEMS piezoelectric microphones are discussed in this paper.

SH waves in orthotropic piezomaterials considered surface effects

Nowadays, orthotropic piezomaterials have enormous potential in producing electronic devices owing to their inherent merits, e.g., intrinsically robust piezoelectricity. Nevertheless, the previous theoretical studies merely report surface effects on the physical properties of SH waves in a layered transversely isotropic piezoelectric structure. Filling such a blank is a special necessity for optimizing Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sensors. Thus, the present paper aims to determine how surface effects and interfacial imperfection affect the attributes of SH waves in a layered orthotropic piezoelectric semi-space by means of surface piezoelectricity theory and a linear spring model. The structure mainly consists of the piezoelectric film's bottom and top surface layers and the imperfect bonding between the piezoelectric film and elastic half-space. To explicitly figure out surface and imperfect interface effects on the mechanical behavior of SH waves in a layered piezoelectric half-space, we extensively derive the phase velocity equations of SH waves in an orthotropic piezoelectric plate and an orthotropic piezoelectric half-space. Then, a comparison study among SH waves in a layered piezoelectric semi-space, a piezoelectric plate, and a piezoelectric half-space is conducted. As a result, it is revealed that the attributes of SH waves dramatically vary as the piezoelectric films’ thickness changes from microscale to nanoscale. In addition, phase velocity increases or decreases with an increasing surface elastic constant or surface density due to the enhancement of stiffness or density of the whole structure. When the ratio of piezoelectric film thickness to wavelength is small, imperfect parameters substantially reduce the phase velocity owing to a decreasing interface elastic stiffness. The comparison study shows that the imperfect parameter does not influence the waves’ velocity, while the ratio of film thickness to wavelength is relatively considerable. Anisotropic piezoelectric constant essentially weakens surface effects on the waves’ velocity. Intriguingly, a linear function is acquired and is used to measure surface density via the slope of the linear function. The summaries supply unique guidelines and instructions to open an avenue for designing and manipulating surface acoustic wave nanosensors in the future.