WorldWideScience

Sample records for nonpiezoelectric-to-piezoelectric length ratio

  1. Vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric unimorph cantilevers with unequal piezoelectric and nonpiezoelectric lengths

    OpenAIRE

    Gao, Xiaotong; Shih, Wei-Heng; Shih, Wan Y.

    2010-01-01

    We have examined a piezoelectric unimorph cantilever (PUC) with unequal piezoelectric and nonpiezoelectric lengths for vibration energy harvesting theoretically by extending the analysis of a PUC with equal piezoelectric and nonpiezoelectric lengths. The theoretical approach was validated by experiments. A case study showed that for a fixed vibration frequency, the maximum open-circuit induced voltage which was important for charge storage for later use occurred with a PUC that had a nonpiezo...

  2. Piezoelectric cantilever sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Wan Y. (Inventor); Shih, Wei-Heng (Inventor); Shen, Zuyan (Inventor)

    2008-01-01

    A piezoelectric cantilever with a non-piezoelectric, or piezoelectric tip useful as mass and viscosity sensors. The change in the cantilever mass can be accurately quantified by monitoring a resonance frequency shift of the cantilever. For bio-detection, antibodies or other specific receptors of target antigens may be immobilized on the cantilever surface, preferably on the non-piezoelectric tip. For chemical detection, high surface-area selective absorbent materials are coated on the cantilever tip. Binding of the target antigens or analytes to the cantilever surface increases the cantilever mass. Detection of target antigens or analytes is achieved by monitoring the cantilever's resonance frequency and determining the resonance frequency shift that is due to the mass of the adsorbed target antigens on the cantilever surface. The use of a piezoelectric unimorph cantilever allows both electrical actuation and electrical sensing. Incorporating a non-piezoelectric tip (14) enhances the sensitivity of the sensor. In addition, the piezoelectric cantilever can withstand damping in highly viscous liquids and can be used as a viscosity sensor in wide viscosity range.

  3. Engineered piezoelectricity in graphene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ong, Mitchell T; Reed, Evan J

    2012-02-28

    We discover that piezoelectric effects can be engineered into nonpiezoelectric graphene through the selective surface adsorption of atoms. Our calculations show that doping a single sheet of graphene with atoms on one side results in the generation of piezoelectricity by breaking inversion symmetry. Despite their 2D nature, piezoelectric magnitudes are found to be comparable to those in 3D piezoelectric materials. Our results elucidate a designer piezoelectric phenomenon, unique to the nanoscale, that has potential to bring dynamical control to nanoscale electromechanical devices.

  4. Piezoelectric effect in strained quantum wells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dang, L.S.; Andre, R.; Cibert, J.

    1995-01-01

    This paper describes some physical aspects of the piezoelectric effect which takes place in strained semiconductor heterostructures grown along a polar axis. First we show how piezoelectric fields can be accurately measured by optical spectroscopy. Then we discuss about the origin of the non-linear piezoelectric effect reported recently for CdTe, and maybe for InAs as well. Finally we compare excitonic effects in piezoelectric and non-piezoelectric quantum wells. (orig.)

  5. Elastic properties of spherically anisotropic piezoelectric composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    En-Bo, Wei; Guo-Qing, Gu; Ying-Ming, Poon

    2010-01-01

    Effective elastic properties of spherically anisotropic piezoelectric composites, whose spherically anisotropic piezoelectric inclusions are embedded in an infinite non-piezoelectric matrix, are theoretically investigated. Analytical solutions for the elastic displacements and the electric potentials under a uniform external strain are derived exactly. Taking into account of the coupling effects of elasticity, permittivity and piezoelectricity, the formula is derived for estimating the effective elastic properties based on the average field theory in the dilute limit. An elastic response mechanism is revealed, in which the effective elastic properties increase as inclusion piezoelectric properties increase and inclusion dielectric properties decrease. Moreover, a piezoelectric response mechanism, of which the effective piezoelectric response vanishes due to the symmetry of spherically anisotropic composite, is also disclosed. (condensed matter: structure, thermal and mechanical properties)

  6. On developing an optimal design procedure for a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever energy harvester under a predefined volume

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aboulfotoh, Noha; Twiefel, Jens

    2018-06-01

    A typical vibration harvester is tuned to operate at resonance in order to maximize the power output. There are many design parameter sets for tuning the harvester to a specific frequency, even for simple geometries. This work studies the impact of the geometrical parameters on the harvested power while keeping the resonance frequency constant in order to find the combination of the parameters that optimizes the power under a predefined volume. A bimorph piezoelectric cantilever is considered for the study. It consists of two piezoelectric layers and a middle non-piezoelectric layer and holds a tip mass. A theoretical model was derived to obtain the system parameters and the power as functions of the design parameters. Formulas for the optimal load resistance that provide maximum power capability at resonance and anti-resonance frequency were derived. The influence of the width on the power is studied, considering a constant mass ratio (between the tip mass and the mass of the beam). This keeps the resonance frequency constant while changing the width. The influence of the ratio between the thickness of the middle layer and that of the piezoelectric layer is also studied. It is assumed that the total thickness of the cantilever is constant and the middle layer has the same mechanical properties (elasticity and density) as the piezoelectric layer. This keeps the resonance frequency constant while changing the ratio between the thicknesses. Finally, the influence of increasing the free length as well as of increasing the mass ratio on the power is investigated. This is done by first, increasing each of them individually and secondly, by increasing each of them simultaneously while increasing the total thickness under the condition of maintaining a constant resonance frequency. Based on the analysis of these influences, recommendations as to how to maximize the geometrical parameters within the available volume and mass are presented.

  7. High Temperature, High Power Piezoelectric Composite Transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyeong Jae; Zhang, Shujun; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Sherrit, StewarT.

    2014-01-01

    Piezoelectric composites are a class of functional materials consisting of piezoelectric active materials and non-piezoelectric passive polymers, mechanically attached together to form different connectivities. These composites have several advantages compared to conventional piezoelectric ceramics and polymers, including improved electromechanical properties, mechanical flexibility and the ability to tailor properties by using several different connectivity patterns. These advantages have led to the improvement of overall transducer performance, such as transducer sensitivity and bandwidth, resulting in rapid implementation of piezoelectric composites in medical imaging ultrasounds and other acoustic transducers. Recently, new piezoelectric composite transducers have been developed with optimized composite components that have improved thermal stability and mechanical quality factors, making them promising candidates for high temperature, high power transducer applications, such as therapeutic ultrasound, high power ultrasonic wirebonding, high temperature non-destructive testing, and downhole energy harvesting. This paper will present recent developments of piezoelectric composite technology for high temperature and high power applications. The concerns and limitations of using piezoelectric composites will also be discussed, and the expected future research directions will be outlined. PMID:25111242

  8. Anomalous piezoelectricity in two-dimensional graphene nitride nanosheets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zelisko, Matthew; Hanlumyuang, Yuranan; Yang, Shubin; Liu, Yuanming; Lei, Chihou; Li, Jiangyu; Ajayan, Pulickel M; Sharma, Pradeep

    2014-06-27

    Piezoelectricity is a unique property of materials that permits the conversion of mechanical stimuli into electrical and vice versa. On the basis of crystal symmetry considerations, pristine carbon nitride (C3N4) in its various forms is non-piezoelectric. Here we find clear evidence via piezoresponse force microscopy and quantum mechanical calculations that both atomically thin and layered graphitic carbon nitride, or graphene nitride, nanosheets exhibit anomalous piezoelectricity. Insights from ab inito calculations indicate that the emergence of piezoelectricity in this material is due to the fact that a stable phase of graphene nitride nanosheet is riddled with regularly spaced triangular holes. These non-centrosymmetric pores, and the universal presence of flexoelectricity in all dielectrics, lead to the manifestation of the apparent and experimentally verified piezoelectric response. Quantitatively, an e11 piezoelectric coefficient of 0.758 C m(-2) is predicted for C3N4 superlattice, significantly larger than that of the commonly compared α-quartz.

  9. Design, Manufacturing and Characterization of Functionally Graded Flextensional Piezoelectric Actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amigo, R C R; Vatanabe, S L; Silva, E C N

    2013-01-01

    Previous works have been shown several advantages in using Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) for the performance of flextensional devices, such as reduction of stress concentrations and gains in reliability. In this work, the FGM concept is explored in the design of graded devices by using the Topology Optimization Method (TOM), in order to determine optimal topologies and gradations of the coupled structures of piezoactuators. The graded pieces are manufactured by using the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technique and are bonded to piezoelectric ceramics. The graded actuators are then tested by using a modular vibrometer system for measuring output displacements, in order to validate the numerical simulations. The technological path developed here represents the initial step toward the manufacturing of an integral piezoelectric device, constituted by piezoelectric and non-piezoelectric materials without bonding layers.

  10. Bone-Inspired Spatially Specific Piezoelectricity Induces Bone Regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Peng; Ning, Chengyun; Zhang, Yu; Tan, Guoxin; Lin, Zefeng; Liu, Shaoxiang; Wang, Xiaolan; Yang, Haoqi; Li, Kang; Yi, Xin; Zhu, Ye; Mao, Chuanbin

    2017-01-01

    The extracellular matrix of bone can be pictured as a material made of parallel interspersed domains of fibrous piezoelectric collagenous materials and non-piezoelectric non-collagenous materials. To mimic this feature for enhanced bone regeneration, a material made of two parallel interspersed domains, with higher and lower piezoelectricity, respectively, is constructed to form microscale piezoelectric zones (MPZs). The MPZs are produced using a versatile and effective laser-irradiation technique in which K 0.5 Na 0.5 NbO 3 (KNN) ceramics are selectively irradiated to achieve microzone phase transitions. The phase structure of the laser-irradiated microzones is changed from a mixture of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases (with higher piezoelectricity) to a tetragonal dominant phase (with lower piezoelectricity). The microzoned piezoelectricity distribution results in spatially specific surface charge distribution, enabling the MPZs to bear bone-like microscale electric cues. Hence, the MPZs induce osteogenic differentiation of stem cells in vitro and bone regeneration in vivo even without being seeded with stem cells. The concept of mimicking the spatially specific piezoelectricity in bone will facilitate future research on the rational design of tissue regenerative materials.

  11. Piezoelectric Templates – New Views on Biomineralization and Biomimetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stitz, Nina; Eiben, Sabine; Atanasova, Petia; Domingo, Neus; Leineweber, Andreas; Burghard, Zaklina; Bill, Joachim

    2016-01-01

    Biomineralization in general is based on electrostatic interactions and molecular recognition of organic and inorganic phases. These principles of biomineralization have also been utilized and transferred to bio-inspired synthesis of functional materials during the past decades. Proteins involved in both, biomineralization and bio-inspired processes, are often piezoelectric due to their dipolar character hinting to the impact of a template’s piezoelectricity on mineralization processes. However, the piezoelectric contribution on the mineralization process and especially the interaction of organic and inorganic phases is hardly considered so far. We herein report the successful use of the intrinsic piezoelectric properties of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) to synthesize piezoelectric ZnO. Such films show a two-fold increase of the piezoelectric coefficient up to 7.2 pm V−1 compared to films synthesized on non-piezoelectric templates. By utilizing the intrinsic piezoelectricity of a biotemplate, we thus established a novel synthesis pathway towards functional materials, which sheds light on the whole field of biomimetics. The obtained results are of even broader and general interest since they are providing a new, more comprehensive insight into the mechanisms involved into biomineralization in living nature. PMID:27212583

  12. Increased power to weight ratio of piezoelectric energy harvesters through integration of cellular honeycomb structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chandrasekharan, N; Thompson, L L

    2016-01-01

    The limitations posed by batteries have compelled the need to investigate energy harvesting methods to power small electronic devices that require very low operational power. Vibration based energy harvesting methods with piezoelectric transduction in particular has been shown to possess potential towards energy harvesters replacing batteries. Current piezoelectric energy harvesters exhibit considerably lower power to weight ratio or specific power when compared to batteries the harvesters seek to replace. To attain the goal of battery-less self-sustainable device operation the power to weight ratio gap between piezoelectric energy harvesters and batteries need to be bridged. In this paper the potential of integrating lightweight honeycomb structures with existing piezoelectric device configurations (bimorph) towards achieving higher specific power is investigated. It is shown in this study that at low excitation frequency ranges, replacing the solid continuous substrate of conventional bimorph with honeycomb structures of the same material results in a significant increase in power to weight ratio of the piezoelectric harvester. At higher driving frequency ranges it is shown that unlike the traditional piezoelectric bimorph with solid continuous substrate, the honeycomb substrate bimorph can preserve optimum global design parameters through manipulation of honeycomb unit cell parameters. Increased operating lifetime and design flexibility of the honeycomb core piezoelectric bimorph is demonstrated as unit cell parameters of the honeycomb structures can be manipulated to alter mass and stiffness properties of the substrate, resulting in unit cell parameter significantly influencing power generation. (paper)

  13. Hydrogen and fluorine co-decorated silicene: A first principles study of piezoelectric properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noor-A-Alam, Mohammad; Kim, Hye Jung; Shin, Young-Han

    2015-01-01

    A low-buckled silicene monolayer being centrosymmetric like graphene, in contrast to a piezoelectric hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), is not intrinsically piezoelectric. However, based on first principles calculations, we show that chemical co-decoration of hydrogen (H) and fluorine (F) on opposite sides of silicene (i.e., one side is decorated with H, while the other one is with F) breaks the centrosymmetry. Redistributing the charge density due to the electronegativity difference between the atoms, non-centrosymmetric co-decoration induces an out-of-plane dipolar polarization and concomitant piezoelectricity into non-piezoelectric silicene monolayer. Our piezoelectric coefficients are comparable with other known two-dimensional piezoelectric materials (e.g., hydrofluorinated graphene/h-BN) and some bulk semiconductors, such as wurtzite GaN and wurtzite BN. Moreover, because of silicene's lower elastic constants compared to graphene or h-BN, piezoelectric strain constants are found significantly larger than those of hydrofluorinated graphene/h-BN. We also predict that a wide range of band gaps with an average of 2.52 eV can be opened in a low-buckled gapless semi-metallic silicene monolayer by co-decoration of H and F atoms on the surface

  14. Computational and Experimental Insight Into Single-Molecule Piezoelectric Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marvin, Christopher Wayne

    Piezoelectric materials allow for the harvesting of ambient waste energy from the environment. Producing lightweight, highly responsive materials is a challenge for this type of material, requiring polymer, foam, or bio-inspired materials. In this dissertation, I explore the origin of the piezoelectric effect in single molecules through density functional theory (DFT), analyze the piezoresponse of bio-inspired peptidic materials through the use of atomic and piezoresponse force microscopy (AFM and PFM), and develop a novel class of materials combining flexible polyurethane foams and non-piezoelectric, polar dopants. For the DFT calculations, functional group, regiochemical, and heteroatom derivatives of [6]helicene were examined for their influence on the piezoelectric response. An aza[6]helicene derivative was found to have a piezoelectric response (108 pm/V) comparable to ceramics such as lead zirconium titanate (200+ pm/V). These computed materials have the possibility to compete with current field-leading piezomaterials such as lead zirconium titanate (PZT), zinc oxide (ZnO), and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and its derivatives. The use of AFM/PFM allows for the demonstration of the piezoelectric effect of the selfassembled monolayer (SAM) peptidic systems. Through PFM, the influence that the helicity and sequence of the peptide has on the overall response of the molecule can be analyzed. Finally, development of a novel class of piezoelectrics, the foam-based materials, expands the current understanding of the qualities required for a piezoelectric material from ceramic and rigid materials to more flexible, organic materials. Through the exploration of these novel types of piezoelectric materials, new design rules and figures of merit have been developed.

  15. High aspect ratio piezoelectric strontium-bismuth-tantalate nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrison, Finlay D; Ramsay, Laura; Scott, James F

    2003-01-01

    We report the deposition and characterization of transparent ferroelectric/piezoelectric nanotubes of wall thickness about 40 nm, tube diameters ranging from a few hundred nanometres to 4 μm, and length about 100 μm. Comparison with other nanotubes is made and applications in dynamic random access memory trenching and ink-jet printers are discussed. (letter to the editor)

  16. Effect of length/width ratio of tapered beams on the performance of piezoelectric energy harvesters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matova, S P; Renaud, M; Jambunathan, M; Goedbloed, M; Van Schaijk, R

    2013-01-01

    Tapering of the beams as a way to increase the generated output power of cantilever piezoelectric energy harvesters has gained popularity in recent years. The tapering increases the average strain in the beam and consequently the charge generated by the piezoelectric material. Different authors claim an improvement of up to 30% in the generated output power. We have investigated the possibility of using tapered beams in MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters. Numerical simulations did not suggest any increase in the generated output power and the lack of improvement was confirmed in practice. With the help of the numerical simulations it was further found that the tapering does work but only for certain design configurations, namely for cantilevers with long slender beams. For cantilevers with short wide beams, the tapering has no significant effect on the output power of the harvester. (paper)

  17. The effect of particle aspect ratio on the electroelastic properties of piezoelectric nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrews, C; Lin, Y; Sodano, H A

    2010-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials offer exceptional sensing and actuation properties; however, they are prone to breakage and difficult to apply on curved surfaces in their monolithic form. One method of alleviating these issues is through the use of 0–3 nanocomposites, which are formed by embedding piezoelectric particles into a polymer matrix. Material of this class offers certain advantages over monolithic materials; however, it has seen little use due to its low coupling. Here we develop micromechanics and finite element models to study the electroelastic properties of an active nanocomposite, as a function of the aspect ratio and alignment of the piezoelectric filler. Our results show that the aspect ratio is critical for achieving high electromechanical coupling, and with an increase from 1 to 10 at 30% volume fraction of piezoelectric filler the coupling can increase to 60 times its initial value and achieve a bulk composite coupling as high as 90% for a pure PZT-7A piezoelectric constituent

  18. Using Diffusion Bonding in Making Piezoelectric Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sager, Frank E.

    2003-01-01

    A technique for the fabrication of piezoelectric actuators that generate acceptably large forces and deflections at relatively low applied voltages involves the stacking and diffusion bonding of multiple thin piezoelectric layers coated with film electrodes. The present technique stands in contrast to an older technique in which the layers are bonded chemically, by use of urethane or epoxy agents. The older chemical-bonding technique entails several disadvantages, including the following: It is difficult to apply the bonding agents to the piezoelectric layers. It is difficult to position the layers accurately and without making mistakes. There is a problem of disposal of hazardous urethane and epoxy wastes. The urethane and epoxy agents are nonpiezoelectric materials. As such, they contribute to the thickness of a piezoelectric laminate without contributing to its performance; conversely, for a given total thickness, the performance of the laminate is below that of a unitary piezoelectric plate of the same thickness. The figure depicts some aspects of the fabrication of a laminated piezoelectric actuator by the present diffusion- bonding technique. First, stock sheets of the piezoelectric material are inspected and tested. Next, the hole pattern shown in the figure is punched into the sheets. Alternatively, if the piezoelectric material is not a polymer, then the holes are punched in thermoplastic films. Then both faces of each punched piezoelectric sheet or thermoplastic film are coated with a silver-ink electrode material by use of a silkscreen printer. The electrode and hole patterns are designed for minimal complexity and minimal waste of material. After a final electrical test, all the coated piezoelectric layers (or piezoelectric layers and coated thermoplastic films) are stacked in an alignment jig, which, in turn, is placed in a curved press for the diffusion-bonding process. In this process, the stack is pressed and heated at a specified curing temperature

  19. The generation of piezoelectricity and flexoelectricity in graphene by breaking the materials symmetries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javvaji, Brahmanandam; He, Bo; Zhuang, Xiaoying

    2018-06-01

    Graphene is a non-piezoelectric material. Engineering the piezoelectricity in graphene is possible with the help of impurities, defects and structural modifications. This study reports the mechanism of strain induced polarization and the estimation of piezoelectric and flexoelectric coefficients for graphene system. The combination of charge-dipole potential and the strong many-body potential is employed for describing the inter-atomic interactions. The breaking of symmetry in graphene material is utilized to generate the polarization. Pristine graphene, graphene with circular defect, graphene with triangular defect and trapezium-shaped graphene are considered. Molecular dynamics simulations are performed for straining the graphene atomic systems. The optimization of charge-dipole potential functions measure the polarization for these systems. Pristine and circular defect graphene systems show a constant polarization with strain. The polarization is varying with strain for a triangular defected and trapezium-shaped graphene system. The local atomic deformation produces a change in polarization with respect to the strain gradient. Estimated piezo and flexo coefficients motivate the usage of graphene in electro-mechanical devices.

  20. The generation of piezoelectricity and flexoelectricity in graphene by breaking the materials symmetries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javvaji, Brahmanandam; He, Bo; Zhuang, Xiaoying

    2018-06-01

    Graphene is a non-piezoelectric material. Engineering the piezoelectricity in graphene is possible with the help of impurities, defects and structural modifications. This study reports the mechanism of strain induced polarization and the estimation of piezoelectric and flexoelectric coefficients for graphene system. The combination of charge-dipole potential and the strong many-body potential is employed for describing the inter-atomic interactions. The breaking of symmetry in graphene material is utilized to generate the polarization. Pristine graphene, graphene with circular defect, graphene with triangular defect and trapezium-shaped graphene are considered. Molecular dynamics simulations are performed for straining the graphene atomic systems. The optimization of charge-dipole potential functions measure the polarization for these systems. Pristine and circular defect graphene systems show a constant polarization with strain. The polarization is varying with strain for a triangular defected and trapezium-shaped graphene system. The local atomic deformation produces a change in polarization with respect to the strain gradient. Estimated piezo and flexo coefficients motivate the usage of graphene in electro-mechanical devices.

  1. Wave propagation through a flexoelectric piezoelectric slab sandwiched by two piezoelectric half-spaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiao, Fengyu; Wei, Peijun; Li, Yueqiu

    2018-01-01

    Reflection and transmission of plane waves through a flexoelectric piezoelectric slab sandwiched by two piezoelectric half-spaces are studied in this paper. The secular equations in the flexoelectric piezoelectric material are first derived from the general governing equation. Different from the classical piezoelectric medium, there are five kinds of coupled elastic waves in the piezoelectric material with the microstructure effects taken into consideration. The state vectors are obtained by the summation of contributions from all possible partial waves. The state transfer equation of flexoelectric piezoelectric slab is derived from the motion equation by the reduction of order, and the transfer matrix of flexoelectric piezoelectric slab is obtained by solving the state transfer equation. By using the continuous conditions at the interface and the approach of partition matrix, we get the resultant algebraic equations in term of the transfer matrix from which the reflection and transmission coefficients can be calculated. The amplitude ratios and further the energy flux ratios of various waves are evaluated numerically. The numerical results are shown graphically and are validated by the energy conservation law. Based on these numerical results, the influences of two characteristic lengths of microstructure and the flexoelectric coefficients on the wave propagation are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Dielectric and Piezoelectric Properties of PZT Composite Thick Films with Variable Solution to Powder Ratios.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Dawei; Zhou, Qifa; Shung, Koping Kirk; Bharadwaja, Srowthi N; Zhang, Dongshe; Zheng, Haixing

    2009-05-08

    The use of PZT films in sliver-mode high-frequency ultrasonic transducers applications requires thick, dense, and crack-free films with excellent piezoelectric and dielectric properties. In this work, PZT composite solutions were used to deposit PZT films >10 μm in thickness. It was found that the functional properties depend strongly on the mass ratio of PZT sol-gel solution to PZT powder in the composite solution. Both the remanent polarization, P(r), and transverse piezoelectric coefficient, e(31,) (f), increase with increasing proportion of the sol-gel solution in the precursor. Films prepared using a solution-to-powder mass ratio of 0.5 have a remanent polarization of 8 μC/cm(2), a dielectric constant of 450 (at 1 kHz), and e(31,) (f) = -2.8 C/m(2). Increasing the solution-to-powder mass ratio to 6, the films were found to have remanent polarizations as large as 37 μC/cm(2), a dielectric constant of 1250 (at 1 kHz) and e(31,) (f) = -5.8 C/m(2).

  3. Hydrodynamic thrust generation and power consumption investigations for piezoelectric fins with different aspect ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahab, S.; Tan, D.; Erturk, A.

    2015-12-01

    Bio-inspired hydrodynamic thrust generation using piezoelectric transduction has recently been explored using Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuators. The MFC technology strikes a balance between the actuation force and structural deformation levels for effective swimming performance, and additionally offers geometric scalability, silent operation, and ease of fabrication. Recently we have shown that mean thrust levels comparable to biological fish of similar size can be achieved using MFC fins. The present work investigates the effect of length-to-width (L/b) aspect ratio on the hydrodynamic thrust generation performance of MFC cantilever fins by accounting for the power consumption level. It is known that the hydrodynamic inertia and drag coefficients are controlled by the aspect ratio especially for L/bdrag coefficients from the vibration response to harmonic actuation for the first bending mode. Experiments are then conducted for various actuation voltage levels to quantify the mean thrust resultant and power consumption levels for different aspect ratios. Variation of the thrust coefficient of the MFC bimorph fins with changing aspect ratio is also semi-empirically modeled and presented.

  4. Acoustic stimulation can induce a selective neural network response mediated by piezoelectric nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojas, Camilo; Tedesco, Mariateresa; Massobrio, Paolo; Marino, Attilio; Ciofani, Gianni; Martinoia, Sergio; Raiteri, Roberto

    2018-06-01

    Objective. We aim to develop a novel non-invasive or minimally invasive method for neural stimulation to be applied in the study and treatment of brain (dys)functions and neurological disorders. Approach. We investigate the electrophysiological response of in vitro neuronal networks when subjected to low-intensity pulsed acoustic stimulation, mediated by piezoelectric nanoparticles adsorbed on the neuronal membrane. Main results. We show that the presence of piezoelectric barium titanate nanoparticles induces, in a reproducible way, an increase in network activity when excited by stationary ultrasound waves in the MHz regime. Such a response can be fully recovered when switching the ultrasound pulse off, depending on the generated pressure field amplitude, whilst it is insensitive to the duration of the ultrasound pulse in the range 0.5 s–1.5 s. We demonstrate that the presence of piezoelectric nanoparticles is necessary, and when applying the same acoustic stimulation to neuronal cultures without nanoparticles or with non-piezoelectric nanoparticles with the same size distribution, no network response is observed. Significance. We believe that our results open up an extremely interesting approach when coupled with suitable functionalization strategies of the nanoparticles in order to address specific neurons and/or brain areas and applied in vivo, thus enabling remote, non-invasive, and highly selective modulation of the activity of neuronal subpopulations of the central nervous system of mammalians.

  5. Nonlinear free vibration of piezoelectric nanobeams incorporating surface effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosseini-Hashemi, Shahrokh; Nahas, Iman; Fakher, Mahmood; Nazemnezhad, Reza

    2014-01-01

    In this study, the nonlinear free vibration of piezoelectric nanobeams incorporating surface effects (surface elasticity, surface tension, and surface density) is studied. The governing equation of the piezoelectric nanobeam is derived within the framework of Euler–Bernoulli beam theory with the von Kármán geometric nonlinearity. In order to satisfy the balance conditions between the nanobeam bulk and its surfaces, the component of the bulk stress, σ zz , is assumed to vary linearly through the nanobeam thickness. An exact solution is obtained for the natural frequencies of a simply supported piezoelectric nanobeam in terms of the Jacobi elliptic functions using the free vibration mode shape of the corresponding linear problem. Then, the influences of the surface effects and the piezoelectric field on the nonlinear free vibration of nanobeams made of aluminum and silicon with positive and negative surface elasticity, respectively, have been studied for various properties of the piezoelectric field, various nanobeam sizes and amplitude ratios. It is observed that if the Young’s modulus of a nanobeam is lower, the effect of the piezoelectric field on the frequency ratios (FRs) of the nanobeam will be greater. In addition, it is seen that by increasing the nanobeam length so that the nanobeam cross section is set to be constant, the surface effects and the piezoelectric field with negative voltage values increases the FRs, whereas it is the other way around when the nanobeam cross section is assumed to be dependent on the length of the nanobeam. (paper)

  6. Ratio-based lengths of intervals to improve fuzzy time series forecasting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huarng, Kunhuang; Yu, Tiffany Hui-Kuang

    2006-04-01

    The objective of this study is to explore ways of determining the useful lengths of intervals in fuzzy time series. It is suggested that ratios, instead of equal lengths of intervals, can more properly represent the intervals among observations. Ratio-based lengths of intervals are, therefore, proposed to improve fuzzy time series forecasting. Algebraic growth data, such as enrollments and the stock index, and exponential growth data, such as inventory demand, are chosen as the forecasting targets, before forecasting based on the various lengths of intervals is performed. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses are also carried out for various percentiles. The ratio-based lengths of intervals are found to outperform the effective lengths of intervals, as well as the arbitrary ones in regard to the different statistical measures. The empirical analysis suggests that the ratio-based lengths of intervals can also be used to improve fuzzy time series forecasting.

  7. A computational study of the piezoelectric response due to the material effect in periodic, single island thin films and the geometric effect in periodic, bi-island thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, B.; Bhattacharyya, A.

    2010-01-01

    The electromechanical response of a square-periodic array of circular piezoelectric (PE) thin films alternating with non-piezoelectric (NPE) films is studied in this paper. The material effects are studied for four film/substrate combinations in absence of NPE films for which it is found that if d zxx zzz (z-axis being normal to the interfacial plane between the film and the substrate), it results in reduced substrate bending leading to reduced degradation in the electromechanical response of the thin film. The bi-island structure is studied for zinc oxide on strontium titanate, and, in general, it is seen that the NPE films not only reduce degradation of the electromechanical response of the PE films but also increase their internal stresses; the effect on the former is less than the latter. These effects are most prominent when the circular NPE thin films fill the space between the PE thin films and are elastically very stiff compared to the substrate.

  8. Modeling and characterization of dielectrophoretically structured piezoelectric composites using piezoceramic particle inclusions with high aspect ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Ende, D. A.; Maier, R. A.; van Neer, P. L. M. J.; van der Zwaag, S.; Randall, C. A.; Groen, W. A.

    2013-01-01

    In this work, the piezoelectric properties at high electric fields of dielectrophoretically aligned PZT—polymer composites containing high aspect ratio particles (such as short fibers) are presented. Polarization and strain as a function of electric field are evaluated. The properties of the composites are compared to those of PZT-polymer composites with equiaxed particles, continuous PZT fiber-polymer composites, and bulk PZT ceramics. From high-field polarization and strain measurements, the effective field dependent permittivity and piezoelectric charge constant in the poling direction are determined for dielectrophoresis structured PZT-polymer composites, continuous PZT fiber-polymer composites, and bulk PZT ceramics. The changes in dielectric properties of the inclusions and the matrix at high fields influence the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the composites. It is found that the permittivity and piezoelectric charge constants increase towards a maximum at an applied field of around 2.5-5 kV/mm. The electric field at which the maximum occurs depends on the aspect ratio and degree of alignment of the inclusions. Experimental values of d33 at low and high applied fields are compared to a model describing the composites as a continuous polymer matrix containing PZT particles of various aspect ratios arranged into chains. Thickness mode coupling factors were determined from measured impedance data using fitted equivalent circuit model simulations. The relatively high piezoelectric strain constants, voltage constants, and thickness coupling factors indicate that such aligned short fiber composites could be useful as flexible large area transducers.

  9. Energy harvesting from high-rise buildings by a piezoelectric harvester device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie, X.D.; Wang, Q.; Wang, S.J.

    2015-01-01

    A novel piezoelectric technology of harvesting energy from high-rise buildings is developed. While being used to harness vibration energy of a building, the technology is also helpful to dissipate vibration of the building by the designed piezoelectric harvester as a tuned mass damper. The piezoelectric harvester device is made of two groups of series piezoelectric generators connected by a shared shaft. The shaft is driven by a linking rod hinged on a proof mass on the tip of a cantilever fixed on the roof of the building. The influences of some practical considerations, such as the mass ratio of the proof mass to the main structure, the ratios of the length and flexural rigidity of the cantilever to those of the main structure, on the root mean square (RMS) of the generated electric power and the energy harvesting efficiency of the piezoelectric harvester device are discussed. The research provides a new method for an efficient and practical energy harvesting from high-rise buildings by piezoelectric harvesters. - Highlights: • A new piezoelectric technology in energy harvesting from high-rise buildings is introduced. • A new mathematics model to calculate the energy harvested by the piezoelectric device is developed. • A novel efficient design of the piezoelectric harvester device in provided. • An electric power up to 432 MW under a seismic excitation at a frequency of 30 rad/s is achieved.

  10. Continuum theory for nanotube piezoelectricity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalski, P J; Sai, Na; Mele, E J

    2005-09-09

    We develop and solve a continuum theory for the piezoelectric response of one-dimensional nanotubes and nanowires, and apply the theory to study electromechanical effects in boron-nitride nanotubes. We find that the polarization of a nanotube depends on its aspect ratio, and a dimensionless constant specifying the ratio of the strengths of the elastic and electrostatic interactions. The solutions of the model as these two parameters are varied are discussed. The theory is applied to estimate the electric potential induced along the length of a boron-nitride nanotube in response to a uniaxial stress.

  11. Gust load alleviation wind tunnel tests of a large-aspect-ratio flexible wing with piezoelectric control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Bi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available An active control technique utilizing piezoelectric actuators to alleviate gust-response loads of a large-aspect-ratio flexible wing is investigated. Piezoelectric materials have been extensively used for active vibration control of engineering structures. In this paper, piezoelectric materials further attempt to suppress the vibration of the aeroelastic wing caused by gust. The motion equation of the flexible wing with piezoelectric patches is obtained by Hamilton’s principle with the modal approach, and then numerical gust responses are analyzed, based on which a gust load alleviation (GLA control system is proposed. The gust load alleviation system employs classic proportional-integral-derivative (PID controllers which treat piezoelectric patches as control actuators and acceleration as the feedback signal. By a numerical method, the control mechanism that piezoelectric actuators can be used to alleviate gust-response loads is also analyzed qualitatively. Furthermore, through low-speed wind tunnel tests, the effectiveness of the gust load alleviation active control technology is validated. The test results agree well with the numerical results. Test results show that at a certain frequency range, the control scheme can effectively alleviate the z and x wingtip accelerations and the root bending moment of the wing to a certain extent. The control system gives satisfying gust load alleviation efficacy with the reduction rate being generally over 20%.

  12. Effects of Proof Mass Geometry on Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Hafiz Alameh

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric energy harvesters have proven to have the potential to be a power source in a wide range of applications. As the harvester dimensions scale down, the resonance frequencies of these devices increase drastically. Proof masses are essential in micro-scale devices in order to decrease the resonance frequency and increase the strain along the beam to increase the output power. In this work, the effects of proof mass geometry on piezoelectric energy harvesters are studied. Different geometrical dimension ratios have significant impact on the resonance frequency, e.g., beam to mass lengths, and beam to mass widths. A piezoelectric energy harvester has been fabricated and tested operating at a frequency of about 4 kHz within the audible range. The responses of various prototypes were studied, and an optimized T-shaped piezoelectric vibration energy harvester design is presented for improved performance.

  13. Nano-scaled graphene platelets with a high length-to-width aspect ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhamu, Aruna; Guo, Jiusheng; Jang, Bor Z.

    2010-09-07

    This invention provides a nano-scaled graphene platelet (NGP) having a thickness no greater than 100 nm and a length-to-width ratio no less than 3 (preferably greater than 10). The NGP with a high length-to-width ratio can be prepared by using a method comprising (a) intercalating a carbon fiber or graphite fiber with an intercalate to form an intercalated fiber; (b) exfoliating the intercalated fiber to obtain an exfoliated fiber comprising graphene sheets or flakes; and (c) separating the graphene sheets or flakes to obtain nano-scaled graphene platelets. The invention also provides a nanocomposite material comprising an NGP with a high length-to-width ratio. Such a nanocomposite can become electrically conductive with a small weight fraction of NGPs. Conductive composites are particularly useful for shielding of sensitive electronic equipment against electromagnetic interference (EMI) or radio frequency interference (RFI), and for electrostatic charge dissipation.

  14. Performance Analysis of Wind-Induced Piezoelectric Vibration Bimorph Cantilever for Rotating Machinery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gongbo Zhou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Harvesting the energy contained in the running environment of rotating machinery would be a good way to supplement energy to the wireless sensor. In this paper, we take piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam with parallel connection mode as energy collector and analyze the factors which can influence the generation performance. First, a modal response theory model is built. Second, the static analysis, modal analysis, and piezoelectric harmonic response analysis of the wind-induced piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam are given in detail. Finally, an experiment is also conducted. The results show that wind-induced piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam has low resonant frequency and stable output under the first modal mode and can achieve the maximum output voltage under the resonant condition. The output voltage increases with the increase of the length and width of wind-induced piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam, but the latter increasing amplitude is relatively smaller. In addition, the output voltage decreases with the increase of the thickness and the ratio of metal substrate to piezoelectric patches thickness. The experiment showed that the voltage amplitude generated by the piezoelectric bimorph cantilever beam can reach the value simulated in ANSYS, which is suitable for actual working conditions.

  15. Micromechanics approach to the magnetoelectric properties of laminate and fibrous piezoelectric/magnetostrictive composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Haitao; Zhou, L.M.

    2004-01-01

    We use a micromechanics approach to study the magnetoelectric (ME) properties of the piezoelectric/magnetostrictive composite with a 2-2 laminate structure and a 3-1 fibrous structure. It is found that the 3-1 composite has a higher ME coefficient than the 2-2 one, if the volume ratio of piezoelectric material is the same. The reason is that the 3-1 fibrous composite makes use of the longitudinal piezoelectric response and the piezoelectric voltage constant g 33 is 2-3 times that of g 31 . Generally, a smaller volume ratio of the piezoelectric material will generate a higher ME response. The tensile stress at the piezoelectric/magnetostrictive interface of the 3-1 fibrous composite, however, could be high enough to induce plastic deformation or microcracks, which leads to a ME coefficient lower than the theoretically predicted one

  16. Lead-free LiNbO3 nanowire-based nanocomposite for piezoelectric power generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    In a flexible nanocomposite-based nanogenerator, in which piezoelectric nanostructures are mixed with polymers, important parameters to increase the output power include using long nanowires with high piezoelectricity and decreasing the dielectric constant of the nanocomposite. Here, we report on piezoelectric power generation from a lead-free LiNbO3 nanowire-based nanocomposite. Through ion exchange of ultra-long Na2Nb2O6-H2O nanowires, we synthesized long (approximately 50 μm in length) single-crystalline LiNbO3 nanowires having a high piezoelectric coefficient (d33 approximately 25 pmV-1). By blending LiNbO3 nanowires with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) polymer (volume ratio 1:100), we fabricated a flexible nanocomposite nanogenerator having a low dielectric constant (approximately 2.7). The nanogenerator generated stable electric power, even under excessive strain conditions (approximately 105 cycles). The different piezoelectric coefficients of d33 and d31 for LiNbO3 may have resulted in generated voltage and current for the e33 geometry that were 20 and 100 times larger than those for the e31 geometry, respectively. This study suggests the importance of the blending ratio and strain geometry for higher output-power generation in a piezoelectric nanocomposite-based nanogenerator. PACS 77.65.-j; 77.84.-s; 73.21.Hb PMID:24386884

  17. Structural Origins of Silk Piezoelectricity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yucel, Tuna; Cebe, Peggy; Kaplan, David L

    2011-02-22

    Uniaxially oriented, piezoelectric silk films were prepared by a two-step method that involved: (1) air drying aqueous, regenerated silk fibroin solutions into films, and (2) drawing the silk films to a desired draw ratio. The utility of two different drawing techniques, zone drawing and water immersion drawing were investigated for processing the silk for piezoelectric studies. Silk films zone drawn to a ratio of λ= 2.7 displayed relatively high dynamic shear piezoelectric coefficients of d(14) = -1.5 pC/N, corresponding to over two orders of magnitude increase in d(14) due to film drawing. A strong correlation was observed between the increase in the silk II, β-sheet content with increasing draw ratio measured by FTIR spectroscopy (C(β)∝ e(2.5) (λ)), the concomitant increasing degree of orientation of β-sheet crystals detected via WAXD (FWHM = 0.22° for λ= 2.7), and the improvement in silk piezoelectricity (d(14)∝ e(2.4) (λ)). Water immersion drawing led to a predominantly silk I structure with a low degree of orientation (FWHM = 75°) and a much weaker piezoelectric response compared to zone drawing. Similarly, increasing the β-sheet crystallinity without inducing crystal alignment, e.g. by methanol treatment, did not result in a significant enhancement of silk piezoelectricity. Overall, a combination of a high degree of silk II, β-sheet crystallinity and crystalline orientation are prerequisites for a strong piezoelectric effect in silk. Further understanding of the structural origins of silk piezoelectricity will provide important options for future biotechnological and biomedical applications of this protein.

  18. Dynamic response of low aspect ratio piezoelectric microcantilevers actuated in different liquid environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vázquez, J; Rivera, M A; Hernando, J; Sánchez-Rojas, J L

    2009-01-01

    The response of commercial piezoelectric AFM probes for potential applications in the field of chemical or biological sensors operating in liquids is investigated using laser Doppler vibrometry. The present work investigates the roles played in the frequency response by the density and the viscosity of different water–glycerol mixtures, in a frequency range of up to 1 MHz in air. Since the width of the tested probes is relatively large (and hence the aspect ratio remains small), inertial loading effects dominate viscous effects, unlike in cantilevers characterized by larger aspect ratios. Measurements are compared with results provided by a simplified computer model of a probe immersed in an inviscid surrounding fluid

  19. Research on Effective Electric-Mechanical Coupling Coefficient of Sandwich Type Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducer Using Bending Vibration Mode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiang Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available An analytical model on electromechanical coupling coefficient and the length optimization of a bending piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer are proposed. The piezoelectric transducer consists of 8 PZT elements sandwiched between four thin electrodes, and the PZT elements are clamped by a screwed connection between fore beam and back beam. Firstly, bending vibration model of the piezoelectric transducer is built based on the Timoshenko beam theory. Secondly, the analytical model of effective electromechanical coupling coefficient is built based on the bending vibration model. Energy method and electromechanical equivalent circuit method are involved in the modelling process. To validate the analytical model, sandwich type piezoelectric transducer example in second order bending vibration mode is analysed. Effective electromechanical coupling coefficient of the transducer is optimized with simplex reflection technique, and the optimized ratio of length of the transducers is obtained. Finally, experimental prototypes of the sandwich type piezoelectric transducers are fabricated. Bending vibration mode and impedance of the experimental prototypes are tested, and electromechanical coupling coefficient is obtained according to the testing results. Results show that the analytical model is in good agreement with the experimental model.

  20. Torsion sensing based on patterned piezoelectric beams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Youngsu; You, Hangil

    2018-03-01

    In this study, we investigated the sensing characteristics of piezoelectric beams under torsional loads. We used partially patterned piezoelectric beams to sense torsion. In particular, the piezoelectric patches are located symmetrically with respect to the line of the shear center of the beam. The patterned piezoelectric beam is modeled as a slender beam, and its electrical responses are obtained by piezoelectric electromechanical equations. To validate the modeling framework, experiments are performed using a setup that forces pure torsional deformation. Three different geometric configurations of the patterned piezoelectric layer are used for the experiments. The frequency and amplitude of the forced torsional load are systematically varied in order to study the behavior of the piezoelectric sensor. Experimental results demonstrate that two voltage outputs of the piezoelectric beam are approximately out of phase with identical amplitude. Moreover, the length of the piezoelectric layers has a significant influence on the sensing properties. Our theoretical predictions using the model support the experimental findings.

  1. Temperature stability of c-axis oriented LiNbO3/SiO2/Si thin film layered structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomar, Monika; Gupta, Vinay; Mansingh, Abhai; Sreenivas, K.

    2001-01-01

    Theoretical calculations have been performed for the temperature stability of the c-axis oriented LiNbO 3 thin film layered structures on passivated silicon (SiO 2 /Si) substrate with and without a non-piezoelectric SiO 2 overlayer. The phase velocity, electromechanical coupling coefficient and temperature coefficient of delay (TCD) have been calculated. The thicknesses of various layers have been determined for optimum SAW performance with zero TCD. The presence of a non-piezoelectric SiO 2 overlayer on LiNbO 3 film is found to significantly enhance the coupling coefficient. The optimized results reveal that a high coupling coefficient of K 2 =3.45% and a zero TCD can be obtained in the SiO 2 /LiNbO 3 /SiO 2 /Si structure with a 0.235λ thick LiNbO 3 layer sandwiched between 0.1λ thick SiO 2 layers. (author)

  2. Piezoelectricity and absorption of water in biomaterials: bone and tendon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghilardi Netto, T.

    1973-01-01

    A new application of the Fabry-Perot interferometer has been developed, capable of measuring variations in length with a precision of the order of one angstrom. The method has been applied to the determination of some of the inverse piezoelectric coefficients of bovine bone and tendon. The effect of water in these materials was carefully measured and shown to decrease the piezoelectricity. Correlations between the piezoelectricity and length, weight, and volume and surface resistivity were made during the absorption of water [pt

  3. Piezoelectric Structures and Low Power Generation Devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irinela CHILIBON

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available A short overview of different piezoelectric structures and devices for generating renewable electricity under mechanical actions is presented. A vibrating piezoelectric device differs from a typical electrical power source in that it has capacitive rather than inductive source impedance, and may be driven by mechanical vibrations of varying amplitude. Several techniques have been developed to extract energy from the environment. Generally, “vibration energy” could be converted into electrical energy by three techniques: electrostatic charge, magnetic fields and piezoelectric. Mechanical resonance frequency of piezoelectric bimorph transducers depends on geometric size (length, width, and thickness of each layer, and the piezoelectric coefficients of the piezoelectric material. Manufacturing processes and intended applications of several energy harvesting devices are presented.

  4. Unified model for the electromechanical coupling factor of orthorhombic piezoelectric rectangular bar with arbitrary aspect ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Rouffaud

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric Single Crystals (PSC are increasingly used in the manufacture of ultrasonic transducers and in particular for linear arrays or single element transducers. Among these PSCs, according to their microstructure and poled direction, some exhibit a mm2 symmetry. The analytical expression of the electromechanical coupling coefficient for a vibration mode along the poling direction for piezoelectric rectangular bar resonator is established. It is based on the mode coupling theory and fundamental energy ratio definition of electromechanical coupling coefficients. This unified formula for mm2 symmetry class material is obtained as a function of an aspect ratio (G where the two extreme cases correspond to a thin plate (with a vibration mode characterized by the thickness coupling factor, kt and a thin bar (characterized by k33′. To optimize the k33′ value related to the thin bar design, a rotation of the crystallogaphic axis in the plane orthogonal to the poling direction is done to choose the highest value for PIN-PMN-PT single crystal. Finally, finite element calculations are performed to deduce resonance frequencies and coupling coefficients in a large range of G value to confirm developed analytical relations.

  5. Temperature stability of c-axis oriented LiNbO{sub 3}/SiO{sub 2}/Si thin film layered structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tomar, Monika [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi (India)]. E-mail: mtomar@physics.du.ac.in; monikatomar@rediffmail.com; Gupta, Vinay; Mansingh, Abhai; Sreenivas, K. [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi (India)

    2001-08-07

    Theoretical calculations have been performed for the temperature stability of the c-axis oriented LiNbO{sub 3} thin film layered structures on passivated silicon (SiO{sub 2}/Si) substrate with and without a non-piezoelectric SiO{sub 2} overlayer. The phase velocity, electromechanical coupling coefficient and temperature coefficient of delay (TCD) have been calculated. The thicknesses of various layers have been determined for optimum SAW performance with zero TCD. The presence of a non-piezoelectric SiO{sub 2} overlayer on LiNbO{sub 3} film is found to significantly enhance the coupling coefficient. The optimized results reveal that a high coupling coefficient of K{sup 2}=3.45% and a zero TCD can be obtained in the SiO{sub 2}/LiNbO{sub 3}/SiO{sub 2}/Si structure with a 0.235{lambda} thick LiNbO{sub 3} layer sandwiched between 0.1{lambda} thick SiO{sub 2} layers. (author)

  6. Outer hair cell piezoelectricity: frequency response enhancement and resonance behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weitzel, Erik K; Tasker, Ron; Brownell, William E

    2003-09-01

    Stretching or compressing an outer hair cell alters its membrane potential and, conversely, changing the electrical potential alters its length. This bi-directional energy conversion takes place in the cell's lateral wall and resembles the direct and converse piezoelectric effects both qualitatively and quantitatively. A piezoelectric model of the lateral wall has been developed that is based on the electrical and material parameters of the lateral wall. An equivalent circuit for the outer hair cell that includes piezoelectricity shows a greater admittance at high frequencies than one containing only membrane resistance and capacitance. The model also predicts resonance at ultrasonic frequencies that is inversely proportional to cell length. These features suggest all mammals use outer hair cell piezoelectricity to support the high-frequency receptor potentials that drive electromotility. It is also possible that members of some mammalian orders use outer hair cell piezoelectric resonance in detecting species-specific vocalizations.

  7. Estimating the hemodynamic influence of variable main body-to-iliac limb length ratios in aortic endografts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgakarakos, Efstratios; Xenakis, Antonios; Georgiadis, George S

    2018-02-01

    We conducted a computational study to assess the hemodynamic impact of variant main body-to-iliac limb length (L1/L2) ratios on certain hemodynamic parameters acting on the endograft (EG) either on the normal bifurcated (Bif) or the cross-limb (Cx) fashion. A customary bifurcated 3D model was computationally created and meshed using the commercially available ANSYS ICEM (Ansys Inc., Canonsburg, PA, USA) software. The total length of the EG, was kept constant, while the L1/L2 ratio ranged from 0.3 to 1.5 in the Bif and Cx reconstructed EG models. The compliance of the graft was modeled using a Fluid Structure Interaction method. Important hemodynamic parameters such as pressure drop along EG, wall shear stress (WSS) and helicity were calculated. The greatest pressure decrease across EG was calculated in the peak systolic phase. With increasing L1/L2 it was found that the Pressure Drop was increasing for the Cx configuration, while decreasing for the Bif. The greatest helicity (4.1 m/s2) was seen in peak systole of Cx with ratio of 1.5 whereas its greatest value (2 m/s2) was met in peak systole in the Bif with the shortest L1/L2 ratio (0.3). Similarly, the maximum WSS value was highest (2.74Pa) in the peak systole for the 1.5 L1/L2 of the Cx configuration, while the maximum WSS value equaled 2 Pa for all length ratios of the Bif modification (with the WSS found for L1/L2=0.3 being marginally higher). There was greater discrepancy in the WSS values for all L1/L2 ratios of the Cx bifurcation compared to Bif. Different L1/L2 rations are shown to have an impact on the pressure distribution along the entire EG while the length ratio predisposing to highest helicity or WSS values is also determined by the iliac limbs pattern of the EG. Since current custom-made EG solutions can reproduce variability in main-body/iliac limbs length ratios, further computational as well as clinical research is warranted to delineate and predict the hemodynamic and clinical effect of variable

  8. Electromechanical characteristics of piezoelectric ceramic transformers in radial vibration composed of concentric piezoelectric ceramic disk and ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Shuyu; Hu, Jing; Fu, Zhiqiang

    2013-01-01

    A new type of piezoelectric ceramic transformer in radial vibration is presented. The piezoelectric transformer consists of a pairing of a concentric piezoelectric ceramic circular disk and ring. The inner piezoelectric ceramic disk is axially polarized and the outer piezoelectric ring is radially polarized. Based on the plane stress theory, the exact analytical theory for the piezoelectric transformer is developed and its electromechanical equivalent circuit is introduced. The resonance/anti-resonance frequency equations of the transformer are obtained and the relationship between the resonance/anti-resonance frequency, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient and the geometrical dimensions of the piezoelectric transformer is analyzed. The dependency of the voltage transformation ratio on the frequency is obtained. To verify the analytical theory, a numerical method is used to simulate the electromechanical characteristics of the piezoelectric transformer. It is shown that the analytical resonance/anti-resonance frequencies are in good agreement with the numerical results. (paper)

  9. Electrical Characteristics of the Contour-Vibration-Mode Piezoelectric Transformer with Ring/Dot Electrode Area Ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Juhyun; Yoon, Kwanghee; Lee, Yongwoo; Suh, Sungjae; Kim, Jongsun; Yoo, Chungsik

    2000-05-01

    Contour-vibration-mode Pb(Sb1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 [PSN-PZT] piezoelectric transformers with different ring/dot electrode area ratios were fabricated to the size of 27.5× 27.5× 2.5 mm3 by cold isostatic pressing. The electrical properties and characteristic temperature rises caused by the vibration were measured at various load resistances. Efficiencies above 90% with load resistance were obtained from all the transformers. The voltage step-up ratio appeared to be proportional to the dot electrode area. A 14 W fluorescent lamp, T5, was successfully driven by all of the fabricated transformers. The transformer with ring/dot electrode area ratio of 4.85 exhibited the best properties in terms of output power, efficiency and characteristic temperature rise, 14.88 W, 98% and 5°C, respectively.

  10. Ratio of sheath thickness to Debye length for a slightly ionized continuum plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamilton, J.

    1980-01-01

    The penetration of plasma sheaths for spherical probes in a slightly ionized continuum plasma has been computed for values of epsilon (the ratio of ion to electron temperature) of 0.01 and 1.0 with rhosub(p) (the ratio of probe radius to plasma Debye length) set at 5.10,20 and 30. Values of the potential drops at the sheath boundaries are presented

  11. High-frequency performance for a spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Fang Sheng; Feng, Zhi Hua; Ma, Yu Ting; Pan, Qiao Sheng; Zhang, Lian Sheng; Liu, Yong Bin; He, Liang Guo

    2018-04-01

    Piezoelectric cantilever is suitable as an actuator for micro-flapping-wing aircraft. Higher resonant frequency brings about stronger flight energy, and the flight amplitude can be compensated by displacement-amplification mechanism, such as lever. To obtain a higher resonant frequency, straight piezoelectric bimorph was rolled into spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph with identical effective length in this study, which is verified in COMSOL simulations. Simulation results show that compared with the straight piezoelectric bimorph, the spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph with two turns has higher inherent frequencies (from 204.79 Hz to 504.84 Hz in terms of axial oscillation mode, and from 319.77 Hz to 704.48 Hz in terms of tangential torsional mode). The spiral-shaped piezoelectric bimorph is fabricated by a precise laser cutting process and consists of two turns with effective length of 60 mm, width of 2.5 mm, and thickness of 1.6 mm, respectively. With the excitation voltage of 100 Vpp applying an electric field across the thickness of the bimorph, the tip displacement of the actuator in the axial oscillation and tangential torsional modes are 85 μm and 15 μm, respectively.

  12. Enhanced output performance of a lead-free nanocomposite generator using BaTiO3 nanoparticles and nanowires filler

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baek, Changyeon; Yun, Jong Hyuk; Wang, Hee Seung; Wang, Ji Eun; Park, Hyeonbin; Park, Kwi-Il; Kim, Do Kyung

    2018-01-01

    Flexible nanocomposite generators based on piezoelectric nanoparticles (NPs)-polymeric matrix have been attracted attention as the energy harvesting device converted the electricity from the mechanical deformations. To enhance the piezo-potential difference introduced inside the piezoelectric nanocomposite, one-dimensional nanostructures such as CNTs, copper nanorods, and Ag nanowires (NWs) should be used inevitably as a dispersing agent for achieving well-distributed piezoelectric nanoparticles in an elastomer. These non-piezoelectric additives showed versatile roles; however, their toxicity to living organism has been an obstacle to realize the bio-eco-friendly flexible energy harvesters. Replacing them with piezoelectric NWs with non-toxic can be a challengeable approach to achieve not only the original purposes of additives but also the improvement of output performance. Here, we synthesized well-crystallized BaTiO3 spherical and acicular NPs via a simple hydrothermal reaction and the two-step hydrothermal reactions, respectively and produced piezoelectric nanocomposite made of piezoelectric BaTiO3 NPs and NWs without toxic dispersion enhancers. Output performance of the fabricated flexible energy harvesters with varying the composition of NPs and NWs were investigated by the well-optimized measurement system during the periodical bending and unbending. A nanocomposite-based energy harvester with 4:1 wt ratio generated the maximum open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of 60 V and 1.1 μA, respectively.

  13. Jet length/velocity ratio: a new index for echocardiographic evaluation of chronic aortic regurgitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güvenç, Tolga Sinan; Karaçimen, Denizhan; Erer, Hatice Betül; İlhan, Erkan; Sayar, Nurten; Karakuş, Gültekin; Çekirdekçi, Elif; Eren, Mehmet

    2015-01-01

    Management of aortic regurgitation depends on the assessment for severity. Echocardiography remains as the most widely available tool for evaluation of aortic regurgitation. In this manuscript, we describe a novel parameter, jet length/velocity ratio, for the diagnosis of severe aortic regurgitation. A total of 30 patients with aortic regurgitation were included to this study. Severity of aortic regurgitation was assessed with an aortic regurgitation index incorporating five echocardiographic parameters. Jet length/velocity ratio is calculated as the ratio of maximum jet penetrance to mean velocity of regurgitant flow. Jet length/velocity ratio was significantly higher in patients with severe aortic regurgitation (2.03 ± 0.53) compared to patients with less than severe aortic regurgitation (1.24 ± 0.32, P < 0.001). Correlation of jet length/velocity ratio with aortic regurgitation index was very good (r(2) = 0.86) and correlation coefficient was higher for jet length/velocity ratio compared to vena contracta, jet width/LVOT ratio and pressure half time. For a cutoff value of 1.61, jet length/velocity ratio had a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 88%, with an AUC value of 0.955. Jet length/velocity ratio is a novel parameter that can be used to assess severity of chronic aortic regurgitation. Main limitation for usage of this novel parameter is jet impringement to left ventricular wall. © 2014, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Full Piezoelectric Multilayer-Stacked Hybrid Actuation/Transduction Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Ji; Jiang, Xiaoning; Zu, Tian-Bing

    2011-01-01

    The Stacked HYBATS (Hybrid Actuation/Transduction system) demonstrates significantly enhanced electromechanical performance by using the cooperative contributions of the electromechanical responses of multilayer, stacked negative strain components and positive strain components. Both experimental and theoretical studies indicate that, for Stacked HYBATS, the displacement is over three times that of a same-sized conventional flextensional actuator/transducer. The coupled resonance mode between positive strain and negative strain components of Stacked HYBATS is much stronger than the resonance of a single element actuation only when the effective lengths of the two kinds of elements match each other. Compared with the previously invented hybrid actuation system (HYBAS), the multilayer Stacked HYBATS can be designed to provide high mechanical load capability, low voltage driving, and a highly effective piezoelectric constant. The negative strain component will contract, and the positive strain component will expand in the length directions when an electric field is applied on the device. The interaction between the two elements makes an enhanced motion along the Z direction for Stacked-HYBATS. In order to dominate the dynamic length of Stacked-HYBATS by the negative strain component, the area of the cross-section for the negative strain component will be much larger than the total cross-section areas of the two positive strain components. The transverse strain is negative and longitudinal strain positive in inorganic materials, such as ceramics/single crystals. Different piezoelectric multilayer stack configurations can make a piezoelectric ceramic/single-crystal multilayer stack exhibit negative strain or positive strain at a certain direction without increasing the applied voltage. The difference of this innovation from the HYBAS is that all the elements can be made from one-of-a-kind materials. Stacked HYBATS can provide an extremely effective piezoelectric

  15. Convective mixing length and the galactic carbon to oxygen ratio

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Serrano, A; Peimbert, M [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City. Inst. de Astronomia

    1981-01-01

    We have studied chemical evolution models, assuming instantaneous recycling, and considering: a) the effects of mass loss both in massive stars and in intermediate mass stars, and b) the initial mass function of the solar neighbourhood (Serrano 1978). From these models we have derived the yields of carbon and oxygen. It is concluded that the condition C/O approximately 0.58 in the solar neighbourhood can only be satisfied if, during advanced stages of stellar evolution of intermediate mass stars, the ratio of the convective mixing length to the pressure scale height is > approximately 2.

  16. Wind energy harvesting with a piezoelectric harvester

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Nan; Wang, Quan; Xie, Xiangdong

    2013-01-01

    An energy harvester comprising a cantilever attached to piezoelectric patches and a proof mass is developed for wind energy harvesting, from a cross wind-induced vibration of the cantilever, by the electromechanical coupling effect of piezoelectric materials. The vibration of the cantilever under the cross wind is induced by the air pressure owing to a vortex shedding phenomenon that occurs on the leeward side of the cantilever. To describe the energy harvesting process, a theoretical model considering the cross wind-induced vibration on the piezoelectric coupled cantilever energy harvester is developed, to calculate the charge and the voltage from the harvester. The influences of the length and location of the piezoelectric patches as well as the proof mass on the generated electric power are investigated. Results show that the total generated electric power can be as high as 2 W when the resonant frequency of the cantilever harvester is close to the vortex shedding frequency. Moreover, a value of total generated electric power up to 1.02 W can be practically realized for a cross wind with a variable wind velocity of 9–10 m s −1 by a harvester with a length of 1.2 m. This research facilitates an effective and compact wind energy harvesting device. (paper)

  17. Fabrication of ZnO Nanowires Arrays by Anodization and High-Vacuum Die Casting Technique, and Their Piezoelectric Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, Chin-Guo; Chang, Ho; Wang, Jian-Hao

    2016-01-01

    In this investigation, anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) with arrayed and regularly arranged nanopores is used as a template in the high-vacuum die casting of molten zinc metal (Zn) into the nanopores. The proposed technique yields arrayed Zn nanowires with an aspect ratio of over 600. After annealing, arrayed zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires are obtained. Varying the anodizing time yields AAO templates with thicknesses of approximately 50 μm, 60 μm, and 70 μm that can be used in the fabrication of nanowires of three lengths with high aspect ratios. Experimental results reveal that a longer nanowire generates a greater measured piezoelectric current. The ZnO nanowires that are fabricated using an alumina template are anodized for 7 h and produce higher piezoelectric current of up to 69 pA. PMID:27023546

  18. Fabrication of ZnO Nanowires Arrays by Anodization and High-Vacuum Die Casting Technique, and Their Piezoelectric Properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, Chin-Guo; Chang, Ho; Wang, Jian-Hao

    2016-03-24

    In this investigation, anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) with arrayed and regularly arranged nanopores is used as a template in the high-vacuum die casting of molten zinc metal (Zn) into the nanopores. The proposed technique yields arrayed Zn nanowires with an aspect ratio of over 600. After annealing, arrayed zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires are obtained. Varying the anodizing time yields AAO templates with thicknesses of approximately 50 μm, 60 μm, and 70 μm that can be used in the fabrication of nanowires of three lengths with high aspect ratios. Experimental results reveal that a longer nanowire generates a greater measured piezoelectric current. The ZnO nanowires that are fabricated using an alumina template are anodized for 7 h and produce higher piezoelectric current of up to 69 pA.

  19. Three-dimensional static shape control analysis of composite plates using distributed piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaik Dawood, M S I; Iannucci, L; Greenhalgh, E S

    2008-01-01

    In this work, based on a linear piezoelectric constitutive model, a three-dimensional finite element code using an eight-node brick element that includes the anisotropic and coupled field effects of piezoelectric actuators has been developed for the static shape control analysis of fibre reinforced composite laminates. The code was used to study voltage sensing and actuation capabilities of piezoelectric actuators on composite laminates. The required input voltages to the actuators in order to achieve a specified structural shape were determined using a weighted shape control method. The code was validated using two test cases obtained from the literature. The results were found to show good correlation for voltage actuation. However, since determining input voltages to achieve the desired structural shape is a type of inverse problem, there are no explicit solutions and hence the results obtained from the present model were not similar to those reported in the literature. The second validation also suggests that the anisotropic and coupled field effects of the piezoelectric actuators cannot be neglected as this has been shown to underestimate the required control voltages. The effects of different lamination angles, boundary conditions, plate length-to-thickness ratios and actuator dimensions on the control voltages have also been reported

  20. Nanoconfinement: an effective way to enhance PVDF piezoelectric properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cauda, Valentina; Stassi, Stefano; Bejtka, Katarzyna; Canavese, Giancarlo

    2013-07-10

    The dimensional confinement and oriented crystallization are both key factors in determining the piezoelectric properties of a polymeric nanostructured material. Here we prepare arrays of one-dimensional polymeric nanowires showing piezoelectric features by template-wetting two distinct polymers into anodic porous alumina (APA) membranes. In particular, poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, and its copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene), PVTF, are obtained in commercially available APA, showing a final diameter of about 200 nm and several micrometers in length, reflecting the templating matrix features. We show that the crystallization of both polymers into a ferroelectric phase is directed by the nanotemplate confinement. Interestingly, the PVDF nanowires mainly crystallize into the β-phase in the nanoporous matrix, whereas the reference thin film of PVDF crystallizes in the α nonpolar phase. In the case of the PVTF nanowires, needle-like crystals oriented perpendicularly to the APA channel walls are observed, giving insight on the molecular orientation of the polymer within the nanowire structure. A remarkable piezoelectric behavior of both 1-D polymeric nanowires is observed, upon recording ferroelectric polarization, hysteresis, and displacement loops. In particular, an outstanding piezoelectric effect is observed for the PVDF nanowires with respect to the polymeric thin film, considering that no poling was carried out. Current versus voltage (I-V) characteristics showed a consistent switching behavior of the ferroelectric polar domains, thus revealing the importance of the confined and oriented crystallization of the polymer in monodimensional nanoarchitectures.

  1. Bar piezoelectric ceramic transformers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erhart, Jiří; Pulpan, Půlpán; Rusin, Luboš

    2013-07-01

    Bar-shaped piezoelectric ceramic transformers (PTs) working in the longitudinal vibration mode (k31 mode) were studied. Two types of the transformer were designed--one with the electrode divided into two segments of different length, and one with the electrodes divided into three symmetrical segments. Parameters of studied transformers such as efficiency, transformation ratio, and input and output impedances were measured. An analytical model was developed for PT parameter calculation for both two- and three-segment PTs. Neither type of bar PT exhibited very high efficiency (maximum 72% for three-segment PT design) at a relatively high transformation ratio (it is 4 for two-segment PT and 2 for three-segment PT at the fundamental resonance mode). The optimum resistive loads were 20 and 10 kΩ for two- and three-segment PT designs for the fundamental resonance, respectively, and about one order of magnitude smaller for the higher overtone (i.e., 2 kΩ and 500 Ω, respectively). The no-load transformation ratio was less than 27 (maximum for two-segment electrode PT design). The optimum input electrode aspect ratios (0.48 for three-segment PT and 0.63 for two-segment PT) were calculated numerically under no-load conditions.

  2. A geometric parameter study of piezoelectric coverage on a rectangular cantilever energy harvester

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patel, R; McWilliam, S; Popov, A A

    2011-01-01

    This paper proposes a versatile model for optimizing the performance of a rectangular cantilever beam piezoelectric energy harvester used to convert ambient vibrations into electrical energy. The developed model accounts for geometric changes to the natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping in the structure. This is achieved through the combination of finite element modelling and a distributed parameter electromechanical model, including load resistor and charging capacitor models. The model has the potential for use in investigating the influence of numerous geometric changes on harvester performance, and incorporates a model for accounting for changes in damping as the geometry changes. The model is used to investigate the effects of substrate and piezoelectric layer length, and piezoelectric layer thickness on the performance of a microscale device. Findings from a parameter study indicate the existence of an optimum sample length due to increased mechanical damping for longer beams and improved power output using thicker piezoelectric layers. In practice, harvester design is normally based around a fixed operating frequency for a particular application, and improved performance is often achieved by operating at or near resonance. To achieve unbiased comparisons between different harvester designs, parameter studies are performed by changing multiple parameters simultaneously with the natural frequency held fixed. Performance enhancements were observed using shorter piezoelectric layers as compared to the conventional design, in which the piezoelectric layer and substrate are of equal length

  3. Postbuckling Investigations of Piezoelectric Microdevices Considering Damage Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Zhigang; Wang, Xianqiao

    2014-01-01

    Piezoelectric material has been emerging as a popular building block in MEMS devices owing to its unique mechanical and electrical material properties. However, the reliability of MEMS devices under buckling deformation environments remains elusive and needs to be further explored. Based on the Talreja's tensor valued internal state damage variables as well as the Helmhotlz free energy of piezoelectric material, a constitutive model of piezoelectric materials with damage is presented. The Kachanvo damage evolution law under in-plane compressive loads is employed. The model is applied to the specific case of the postbuckling analysis of the piezoelectric plate with damage. Then, adopting von Karman's plate theory, the nonlinear governing equations of the piezoelectric plates with initial geometric deflection including damage effects under in-plane compressive loads are established. By using the finite difference method and the Newmark scheme, the damage evolution for damage accumulation is developed and the finite difference procedure for postbuckling equilibrium path is simultaneously employed. Numerical results show the postbuckling behaviors of initial flat and deflected piezoelectric plates with damage or no damage under different sets of electrical loading conditions. The effects of applied voltage, aspect ratio of plate, thick-span ratio of plate, damage as well as initial geometric deflections on the postbuckling behaviors of the piezoelectric plate are discussed. PMID:24618774

  4. Fabrication of ZnO Nanowires Arrays by Anodization and High-Vacuum Die Casting Technique, and Their Piezoelectric Properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chin-Guo Kuo

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In this investigation, anodic aluminum oxide (AAO with arrayed and regularly arranged nanopores is used as a template in the high-vacuum die casting of molten zinc metal (Zn into the nanopores. The proposed technique yields arrayed Zn nanowires with an aspect ratio of over 600. After annealing, arrayed zinc oxide (ZnO nanowires are obtained. Varying the anodizing time yields AAO templates with thicknesses of approximately 50 μm, 60 μm, and 70 μm that can be used in the fabrication of nanowires of three lengths with high aspect ratios. Experimental results reveal that a longer nanowire generates a greater measured piezoelectric current. The ZnO nanowires that are fabricated using an alumina template are anodized for 7 h and produce higher piezoelectric current of up to 69 pA.

  5. Theoretical and simulation analysis of piezoelectric liquid resistance captor filled with pipeline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Li; Zhigang, Yang; Junwu, Kan; Lisheng; Bo, Yan; Dan, Lu

    2018-03-01

    This paper designs a kind of Piezoelectric liquid resistance capture energy device, by using the superposition theory of the sheet deformation, the calculation model of the displacement curve of the circular piezoelectric vibrator and the power generation capacity under the concentrated load is established. The results show that the radius ratio, thickness ratio and Young’s modulus of the circular piezoelectric vibrator have greater influence on the power generation capacity. When the material of piezoelectric oscillator is determined, the best radius ratio and thickness ratio make the power generation capacity the largest. Excessive or small radius ratio and thickness ratio will reduce the generating capacity and even generate zero power. In addition, the electromechanical equivalent model is established. Equivalent analysis is made by changing the circuit impedance. The results are consistent with the theoretical simulation results, indicating that the established circuit model can truly reflect the characteristics of the theoretical model.

  6. Theoretical study of piezo-phototronic nano-LEDs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ying; Niu, Simiao; Yang, Qing; Klein, Benjamin D B; Zhou, Yu Sheng; Wang, Zhong Lin

    2014-11-12

    Two-dimensional finite-element simulation of the piezo-phototronic effect in p-n-junction-based devices is carried out for the first time. A charge channel can be induced at the p-n junction interface when strain is applied, given the n-side is a piezoelectric semiconductor and the p-type side is non-piezoelectric semiconductor. This provides the first simulated evidence supporting the previously suggested mechanism responsible for the experimentally observed gigantic change of light-emission efficiency in piezo-phototronic light-emitting devices. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Improving the Power out of a Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Using Segmented Electrodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SAJID RAFIQUE

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Vibration-based EH (Energy Harvesting using piezoelectric materials have been investigated by several research groups with the aim of harvesting maximum energy and providing power to low-powered wireless electronic systems for their entire operational life. The main areas of research includes improvements in mathematical modelling, optimization of harvester geometry, developments in electrical circuitry, advancements in charge storage devices and investigating various piezoelectric materials to achieve maximum power output. This paper investigates and compares the electrical power output with whole length electrodes and with segmentation of electrodes for the same harvester length. It is found that the voltage generated by one electrode of length l/2 of the direction-fixed tip system is significantly greater than that produced by one electrode of length l of the free tip system. This paper also verifies the fact that segmentation of electrodes reduces the effect of strain nodes and charge cancellation particularly at higher mode frequencies. The paper presents the simulation results using DSM (Dynamic Stiffness Matrix which is a compact method of modelling piezoelectric beams

  8. Improving the power out of a piezoelectric energy harvester using segmented electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rafiq, S.; Shah, S.A.

    2017-01-01

    Vibration-based EH (Energy Harvesting) using piezoelectric materials have been investigated by several research groups with the aim of harvesting maximum energy and providing power to low-powered wireless electronic systems for their entire operational life. The main areas of research includes improvements in mathematical modelling, optimization of harvester geometry, developments in electrical circuitry, advancements in charge storage devices and investigating various piezoelectric materials to achieve maximum power output. This paper investigates and compares the electrical power output with whole length electrodes and with segmentation of electrodes for the same harvester length. It is found that the voltage generated by one electrode of length l/2 of the direction-fixed tip system is significantly greater than that produced by one electrode of length l of the free tip system. This paper also verifies the fact that segmentation of electrodes reduces the effect of strain nodes and charge cancellation particularly at higher mode frequencies. The paper presents the simulation results using DSM (Dynamic Stiffness Matrix) which is a compact method of modelling piezoelectric beams. (author)

  9. The Evaluation of Piezoelectric Contact Target Sensor Taking Account of the Wave Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. K. Efremov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Mechanical fuses usually do not provide high performance in the process of destruction of such objects as the armored vehicles. Shaped and armor-piercing high-explosive shells have a heading part of low strength. This prevents from achieving a required level of contact force (reaction or inertia, which is necessary for reliable operation of the target sensor. At the same time, electromechanical fuses have higher sensitivity and operating speed rates being capable of adaptive response to the conditions of shell encountering with the target. A generalized block diagram of the fuse is analysed, and a mathematical model of the piezoelectric transducer (PT as a sensing element of the fuse contact sensor target (CST is proposed. The model takes into account the empirical dependence of the relative permittivity of piezoelectric ceramics on the electric field. An approximate method of calculating the response of PT is presented. It is oriented at evaluating the propagation of a short stress pulse of high intensity, the geometric length of which is commensurate with the length of the piezoelectric element (PE. In this case significantly increases the role of wave processes in the ammunition shell and the PT itself. The calculation is based on the use of the concept of equivalent stress, which is obtained by averaging its diagrams at each time point along the PE. The method allows to analyze the sequence of loading phases passing through the PE body, which depends on the ratio of said geometrical parameters and quantitative characteristics of the output electrical signal of the transducer. An example of estimating the performance of a real piezoelectric CTS is presented. The experimentally obtained force characteristic of the head of piezoelectric fuse is taken into account as well as the encountering speed of the shell and the threshold operating level of the firing train actuator. Calculation results are in good agreement with the results of field tests

  10. Spatial age-length key modelling using continuation ratio logits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berg, Casper W.; Kristensen, Kasper

    2012-01-01

    -called age-length key (ALK) is then used to obtain the age distribution. Regional differences in ALKs are not uncommon, but stratification is often problematic due to a small number of samples. Here, we combine generalized additive modelling with continuation ratio logits to model the probability of age...

  11. Storage capacity for fissile material as a function of facility shape (room length-to-width ratio)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Altschuler, S.J.

    1975-01-01

    The results of a previous study for applying surface density methods to square room of varying size are shown to be conservative for rectangular rooms as well. The surface density required to produce criticality has been calculated as a function of the facility length-to-width ratio for a variety of room widths and unit sizes, shapes, and fissile material compositions. For a length to width ratio greater than or equal to 6, the critical surface density is essentially constant. This allows further economies since more fissile material can be stored at a given subcritical value of k/ sub eff/(0.90) in a rectangular vault of given usable area than in a square one. (U.S.)

  12. INCLUSION RATIO BASED ESTIMATOR FOR THE MEAN LENGTH OF THE BOOLEAN LINE SEGMENT MODEL WITH AN APPLICATION TO NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikko Niilo-Rämä

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available A novel estimator for estimating the mean length of fibres is proposed for censored data observed in square shaped windows. Instead of observing the fibre lengths, we observe the ratio between the intensity estimates of minus-sampling and plus-sampling. It is well-known that both intensity estimators are biased. In the current work, we derive the ratio of these biases as a function of the mean length assuming a Boolean line segment model with exponentially distributed lengths and uniformly distributed directions. Having the observed ratio of the intensity estimators, the inverse of the derived function is suggested as a new estimator for the mean length. For this estimator, an approximation of its variance is derived. The accuracies of the approximations are evaluated by means of simulation experiments. The novel method is compared to other methods and applied to real-world industrial data from nanocellulose crystalline.

  13. Vibration Characteristics of Piezoelectric Microbeams Based on the Modified Couple Stress Theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Ansari

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The vibration behavior of piezoelectric microbeams is studied on the basis of the modified couple stress theory. The governing equations of motion and boundary conditions for the Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam models are derived using Hamilton’s principle. By the exact solution of the governing equations, an expression for natural frequencies of microbeams with simply supported boundary conditions is obtained. Numerical results for both beam models are presented and the effects of piezoelectricity and length scale parameter are illustrated. It is found that the influences of piezoelectricity and size effects are more prominent when the length of microbeams decreases. A comparison between two beam models also reveals that the Euler-Bernoulli beam model tends to overestimate the natural frequencies of microbeams as compared to its Timoshenko counterpart.

  14. A piezoelectric device for impact energy harvesting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacquelin, E; Adhikari, S; Friswell, M I

    2011-01-01

    This paper studies a piezoelectric impact energy harvesting device consisting of two piezoelectric beams and a seismic mass. The aim of this work is to find the influence of several mechanical design parameters on the output power of such a harvester so as to optimize its performance; the electrical design parameters were not studied. To account for the dynamics of the beams, a model including the mechanical and piezoelectric properties of the system is proposed. The impacts involved in the energy harvesting process are described through a Hertzian contact law that requires a time domain simulation to solve the nonlinear equations. A transient regime and a steady-state regime have been identified and the performance of the device is characterized by the steady-state mean electrical power and the transient electrical power. The time simulations have been used to study the influence of various mechanical design parameters (seismic mass, beam length, gap, gliding length, impact location) on the performance of the system. It has been shown that the impact location is an important parameter and may be optimized only through simulation. The models and the simulation technique used in this work are general and may be used to assess any other impact energy harvesting device

  15. Investigation of trapped thickness-twist waves induced by functionally graded piezoelectric material in an inhomogeneous plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Peng; Jin, Feng; Cao, Xiao-Shan

    2013-01-01

    The effect of functional graded piezoelectric materials on the propagation of thickness-twist waves is investigated through equations of the linear theory of piezoelectricity. The elastic and piezoelectric coefficients, dielectric permittivity, and mass density are assumed to change in a linear form but with different graded parameters along the wave propagation direction. We employ the power-series technique to solve the governing differential equations with variable coefficients attributed to the different graded parameters and prove the correction and convergence of this method. As a special case, the functional graded middle layer resulting from piezoelectric damage and material bonding is investigated. Piezoelectric damaged material can facilitate energy trapping, which is impossible in perfect materials. The increase in the damaged length and the reduction in the piezoelectric coefficient decrease the resonance frequency but increase the number of modes. Higher modes of thickness-twist waves appear periodically along the damaged length. Moreover, the displacement of the center of the damaged portion is neither symmetric nor anti-symmetric, unlike the non-graded plate. The conclusions are theoretically and practically significant for wave devices. (paper)

  16. Magnetocaloric piezoelectric composites for energy harvesting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cleveland, Michael; Liang, Hong

    2012-01-01

    Magnetocaloric alloy, Gd 5 Si 2 Ge 2 , was developed into a composite with the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) piezoelectric polymer. This multifunctional material possesses unique properties that are suitable for energy conversion and harvesting. Experimental approaches include using an arc melting technique to synthesize the Gd 5 Si 2 Ge 2 (GSG) alloy and the spinning casting method to fabricate the composite. The materials were characterized using various techniques at different length scales. These include atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that the phase transformation of the magnetocaloric material close to its Curie temperature induced a significant increase in power generation in the piezoelectric polymer. The power output of a laminated structure was 1.1 mW, more than 200 thousand times higher than the piezoelectric materials alone (5.1 nW). (technical note)

  17. Electrostatic potential in a bent piezoelectric nanowire with consideration of size-dependent piezoelectricity and semiconducting characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, K. F.; Wang, B. L.

    2018-06-01

    Determining the electric potential in a bent piezoelectric nanowire (NW) is a fundamental issue of nanogenerators and nanopiezotronics. The combined influence of the flexoelectric effect, the semiconducting performance and the angle of atomic force microscope (AFM) tip has never been studied previously and will be investigated in this paper. The exact solution for the electric potential of a bent piezoelectric semiconductor NW is derived. The electric potential of the present model with consideration of flexoelectric effect varies along the length of the NW and is different from that of the classical piezoelectric model. Flexoelectric effect enhances but the semiconducting performance reduces the electric potential of the NW. In addition, it is found that if the angle of the AFM tip reaches 30°, the error of the electric potential obtained from the model ignored the effect of the angle of the AFM tip is almost 16%, which is unacceptable.

  18. Size-dependent buckling and vibration behaviors of piezoelectric nanostructures due to flexoelectricity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, Xu; Hu, Shuling; Shen, Shengping

    2015-01-01

    The symmetry breaking of inversion in solid crystals will induce electric polarization in all solid crystals, which is well known as flexoelectricity. At the nanometer scale, due to the large ratio of surface to volume, piezoelectric structures always exhibit distinct mechanical and electrical behaviors compared with their bulk counterparts. In the current work, the effects of surface and flexoelectricity on the buckling and vibration of piezoelectric nanowires is investigated based on a continuum framework and the Euler–Bernoulli beam hypothesis. Analytical solutions of the electric field in the piezoelectric nanobeam subjected to electrical and mechanical loads are obtained with the surface, flexoelectric and nonlocal electric effects. Numeric simulations demonstrate that the Young’s modulus and bending rigidity of PZT and BaTiO 3 (BT) nanowires are enhanced by flexoelectricity. In addition, the critical buckling voltage is calculated with consideration of the effects of surface and flexoelectricity, and it is found that the effects of surface piezoelectricity, flexoelectricity and residual surface stress play significant roles in determining the critical buckling voltage. Results obtained for the first resonance frequency also indicate that the effects of surface and flexoelectricity are more significant at a narrow range of beam thickness. The first resonance frequency of PZT and BT nanowires is also influenced by the residual surface stress and external applied voltage. The current work is expected to provide a fundamental study on the buckling and vibration behaviors of piezoelectric nanobeams, and it might also be helpful in devising piezoelectric nanowire-based nanoelectronics. (paper)

  19. Modeling the power output of piezoelectric energy harvesters

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud

    2011-04-30

    Design of experiments and multiphysics analyses were used to develop a parametric model for a d 33-based cantilever. The analysis revealed that the most significant parameters influencing the resonant frequency are the supporting layer thickness, piezoelectric layer thickness, and cantilever length. On the other hand, the most important factors affecting the charge output arethe piezoelectric thickness and the interdigitated electrode dimensions. The accuracy of the developed model was confirmed and showed less than 1% estimation error compared with a commercial simulation package. To estimate the power delivered to a load, the electric current output from the piezoelectric generator was calculated. A circuit model was built and used to estimate the power delivered to a load, which compared favorably to experimentally published power data on actual cantilevers of similar dimensions. © 2011 TMS.

  20. Modeling the power output of piezoelectric energy harvesters

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud; Alshareef, Husam N.

    2011-01-01

    Design of experiments and multiphysics analyses were used to develop a parametric model for a d 33-based cantilever. The analysis revealed that the most significant parameters influencing the resonant frequency are the supporting layer thickness, piezoelectric layer thickness, and cantilever length. On the other hand, the most important factors affecting the charge output arethe piezoelectric thickness and the interdigitated electrode dimensions. The accuracy of the developed model was confirmed and showed less than 1% estimation error compared with a commercial simulation package. To estimate the power delivered to a load, the electric current output from the piezoelectric generator was calculated. A circuit model was built and used to estimate the power delivered to a load, which compared favorably to experimentally published power data on actual cantilevers of similar dimensions. © 2011 TMS.

  1. Closed-form solution for piezoelectric layer with two collinear cracks parallel to the boundaries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. M. Singh

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available We consider the problem of determining the stress distribution in an infinitely long piezoelectric layer of finite width, with two collinear cracks of equal length and parallel to the layer boundaries. Within the framework of reigning piezoelectric theory under mode III, the cracked piezoelectric layer subjected to combined electromechanical loading is analyzed. The faces of the layers are subjected to electromechanical loading. The collinear cracks are located at the middle plane of the layer parallel to its face. By the use of Fourier transforms we reduce the problem to solving a set of triple integral equations with cosine kernel and a weight function. The triple integral equations are solved exactly. Closed form analytical expressions for stress intensity factors, electric displacement intensity factors, and shape of crack and energy release rate are derived. As the limiting case, the solution of the problem with one crack in the layer is derived. Some numerical results for the physical quantities are obtained and displayed graphically.

  2. Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Flying-Boat Hull Having a Length-Beam Ratio of 15, TED No. NACA 2206

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riebe, John M.; Naeseth, Rodger L.

    1951-01-01

    An investigation was made in the Langley 300 MPH 7- by 10-foot tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a flying-boat hull of a length-beam ratio of 15 in the presence of a wing. The investigation was an extension of previous tests made on hulls of length-beam ratios of 6, 9, and 12; these hulls were designed to have approximately the same hydrodynamic performance with respect to spray and resistance characteristics. Comparison with the previous investigation at lower length-beam ratios indicated a reduction in minimum drag coefficients of 0.0006 (10 peroent)with fixed transition when the length-beam ratio was extended from 12 to 15. As with the hulls of lower length-beam ratio, the drag reduction with a length-beam ratio of 15 occurred throughout the range of angle of attack tested and the angle of attack for minimum drag was in the range from 2deg to 3deg. Increasing the length-beam ratio from 12 to 15 reduced the hull longitudinal instability by an mount corresponding to an aerodynamic-center shift of about 1/2 percent of the mean aerodynamic chord of the hypothetical flying boat. At an angle of attack of 2deg, the value of the variation of yawing-moment coefficient with angle of yaw for a length-beam ratio of 15 was 0.00144, which was 0.00007 larger than the value for a length-beam ratio of 12.

  3. An Exact Analytical Solution to Exponentially Tapered Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Salmani

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available It has been proven that tapering the piezoelectric beam through its length optimizes the power extracted from vibration based energy harvesting. This phenomenon has been investigated by some researchers using semianalytical, finite element and experimental methods. In this paper, an exact analytical solution is presented to calculate the power generated from vibration of exponentially tapered unimorph and bimorph with series and parallel connections. The mass normalized mode shapes of the exponentially tapered piezoelectric beam with tip mass are implemented to transfer the proposed electromechanical coupled equations into modal coordinates. The steady states harmonic solution results are verified both numerically and experimentally. Results show that there exist values for tapering parameter and electric resistance in a way that the output power per mass of the energy harvester will be maximized. Moreover it is concluded that the electric resistance must be higher than a specified value for gaining more power by tapering the beam.

  4. Modeling and analysis of circular flexural-vibration-mode piezoelectric transformer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yihua; Huang, Wei

    2010-12-01

    We propose a circular flexural-vibration-mode piezoelectric transformer and perform a theoretical analysis of the transformer. An equivalent circuit is derived from the equations of piezoelectricity and the Hamilton's principle. With this equivalent circuit, the voltage gain ratio, input impedance, and the efficiency of the circular flexural-vibration-mode piezoelectric transformer can be determined. The basic behavior of the transformer is shown by numerical results.

  5. Recirculation zone length in renal artery is affected by flow spirality and renal-to-aorta flow ratio.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javadzadegan, Ashkan; Fulker, David; Barber, Tracie

    2017-07-01

    Haemodynamic perturbations such as flow recirculation zones play a key role in progression and development of renal artery stenosis, which typically originate at the aorta-renal bifurcation. The spiral nature of aortic blood flow, division of aortic blood flow in renal artery as well as the exercise conditions have been shown to alter the haemodynamics in both positive and negative ways. This study focuses on the combinative effects of spiral component of blood flow, renal-to-aorta flow ratio and the exercise conditions on the size and distribution of recirculation zones in renal branches using computational fluid dynamics technique. Our findings show that the recirculation length was longest when the renal-to-aorta flow ratio was smallest. Spiral flow and exercise conditions were found to be effective in reducing the recirculation length in particular in small renal-to-aorta flow ratios. These results support the hypothesis that in renal arteries with small flow ratios where a stenosis is already developed an artificially induced spiral flow within the aorta may decelerate the progression of stenosis and thereby help preserve kidney function.

  6. Electrostatic potential in a bent piezoelectric nanowire with consideration of size-dependent piezoelectricity and semiconducting characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Kaifa; Wang, Baolin

    2018-03-26

    Determining the electric potential in a bent piezoelectric nanowire (NW) is a fundamental issue of nanogenerators and nanopiezotronics. The combined influence of the flexoelectric effect, the semiconducting performance and the angle of atomic force microscope (AFM) tip has never been studied previously and will be investigated in this paper. The exact solution for the electric potential of a bent piezoelectric semiconductor NW is derived. The electric potential of the present model with consideration of flexoelectric effect varies along the length of the NW and is different from that of the classical piezoelectric model. Flexoelectric effect enhances but the semiconducting performance reduces the electric potential of the NW. In addition, it is found that if the angle of the AFM tip reaches 30 degrees, the error of the electric potential obtained from the model ignored the effect of the angle of the AFM tip is almost 16%, which is unacceptable. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  7. High-displacement spiral piezoelectric actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, F.; Kholkin, A. L.; Jadidian, B.; Safari, A.

    1999-10-01

    A high-displacement piezoelectric actuator, employing spiral geometry of a curved piezoelectric strip is described. The monolithic actuators are fabricated using a layered manufacturing technique, fused deposition of ceramics, which is capable of prototyping electroceramic components with complex shapes. The spiral actuators (2-3 cm in diameter) consisted of 4-5 turns of a lead zirconate titanate ceramic strip with an effective length up to 28 cm. The width was varied from 0.9 to 1.75 mm with a height of 3 mm. When driven by the electric field applied across the width of the spiral wall, the tip of the actuator was found to displace in both radial and tangential directions. The tangential displacement of the tip was about 210 μm under the field of 5 kV/cm. Both the displacement and resonant frequency of the spirals could be tailored by changing the effective length and wall width. The blocking force of the actuator in tangential direction was about 1 N under the field of 5 kV/cm. These properties are advantageous for high-displacement low-force applications where bimorph or monomorph actuators are currently employed.

  8. Finger length ratio (2D:4D) correlates with physical aggression in men but not in women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Allison A; Hurd, Peter L

    2005-03-01

    Finger length ratio (2D:4D) is a sexually dimorphic trait. Men have relatively shorter second digits (index fingers) than fourth digits (ring fingers). Smaller, more masculine, digit ratios are thought to be associated with either higher prenatal testosterone levels or greater sensitivity to androgens, or both. Men with more masculine finger ratios are perceived as being more masculine and dominant by female observers, and tend to perform better in a number of physical sports. We hypothesized that digit ratio would correlate with propensity to engage in aggressive behavior. We examined the relationship between trait aggression, assayed using a questionnaire, and finger length ratio in both men and women. Men with lower, more masculine, finger length ratios had higher trait physical aggression scores (r(partial) = -0.21, N = 134, P = 0.028). We found no correlation between finger length ratio and any form of aggression in females. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that testosterone has an organizational effect on adult physical aggression in men.

  9. Vibration reduction of composite plates by piezoelectric patches using a modified artificial bee colony algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hadi Ghashochi-Bargh

    Full Text Available In Current paper, power consumption and vertical displacement optimization of composite plates subject to a step load are carried out by piezoelectric patches using the modified multi-objective Elitist-Artificial Bee Colony (E-ABC algorithm. The motivation behind this concept is to well balance the exploration and exploitation capability for attaining better convergence to the optimum. In order to reduce the calculation time, the elitist strategy is also used in Artificial Bee Colony algorithm. The voltages of patches, plate length/width ratios, ply angles, plate thickness/length ratios, number of layers and edge conditions are chosen as design variables. The formulation is based on the classical laminated plate theory (CLPT and Hamilton's principle. The performance of the new ABC approach is compared with the PSO algorithm and shows the good efficiency of the new ABC approach. To check the validity, the transient responses of isotropic and orthotropic plates are compared with those available in the literature and show a good agreement.

  10. Validation of High Displacement Piezoelectric Actuator Finite Element Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taleghani, B. K.

    2000-01-01

    The paper presents the results obtained by using NASTRAN(Registered Trademark) and ANSYS(Regitered Trademark) finite element codes to predict doming of the THUNDER piezoelectric actuators during the manufacturing process and subsequent straining due to an applied input voltage. To effectively use such devices in engineering applications, modeling and characterization are essential. Length, width, dome height, and thickness are important parameters for users of such devices. Therefore, finite element models were used to assess the effects of these parameters. NASTRAN(Registered Trademark) and ANSYS(Registered Trademark) used different methods for modeling piezoelectric effects. In NASTRAN(Registered Trademark), a thermal analogy was used to represent voltage at nodes as equivalent temperatures, while ANSYS(Registered Trademark) processed the voltage directly using piezoelectric finite elements. The results of finite element models were validated by using the experimental results.

  11. The study on length and diameter ratio of nail as preliminary design for slope stabilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunawan, Indra; Silmi Surjandari, Niken; Muslih Purwana, Yusep

    2017-11-01

    Soil nailing technology has been widely applied in practice for reinforced slope. The number of studies for the effective design of nail-reinforced slopes has also increased. However, most of the previous study was focused on a safety factor of the slope; the ratio of length and diameter itself has likely never been studied before. The aim of this study is to relate the length and diameter ratio of the nail with the safety factor of the 20 m height of sand slope in the various angle of friction and steepness of the slope. Simplified Bishop method was utilized to analyze the safety factor of the slope. This study is using data simulation to calculate the safety factor of the slope with soil nailing reinforcement. The results indicate that safety factor of slope stability increases with the increase of length and diameter ratio of the nail. At any angle of friction and steepness of the slope, certain effective length and diameter ratio was obtain. These results may be considered as a preliminary design for slope stabilization.

  12. Analysis on Coupled Vibration of a Radially Polarized Piezoelectric Cylindrical Transducer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Xu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Coupled vibration of a radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer is analyzed with the mechanical coupling coefficient method. The method has been utilized to analyze the metal cylindrical transducer and the axially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer. In this method, the mechanical coupling coefficient is introduced and defined as the stress ratio in different directions. Coupled vibration of the cylindrical transducer is regarded as the interaction of the plane radial vibration of a ring and the longitudinal vibration of a tube. For the radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer, the radial and longitudinal electric admittances as functions of mechanical coupling coefficients and angular frequencies are derived, respectively. The resonance frequency equations are obtained. The dependence of resonance frequency and mechanical coupling coefficient on aspect ratio is studied. Vibrational distributions on the surfaces of the cylindrical transducer are presented with experimental measurement. On the support of experiments, this work is verified and provides a theoretical foundation for the analysis and design of the radially polarized piezoelectric cylindrical transducer.

  13. Nonlinear vibration of an electrically actuated microresonator tuned by combined DC piezoelectric and electric actuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zamanian, M; Khadem, S E

    2010-01-01

    This paper studies the nonlinear vibration of a clamped–clamped microresonator under combined electric and piezoelectric actuations. The electric actuation is induced by applying an AC–DC voltage between the microbeam and the electrode plate that lies on opposite sides of the microbeam, and the piezoelectric actuation is induced by applying the DC voltage between upper and lower sides of the piezoelectric layer deposited on the microbeam length. It is assumed that the neutral axis of bending is stretched when the microbeam is deflected. The equations of motion are derived using Newton's second law, and are solved using the multiple-scale perturbation method. It is shown that, depending on the value of DC electric and piezoelectric actuations, geometry and the bending stiffness of the system. A softening or hardening behavior may be realized. It demonstrates that nonlinear behavior of an electrically actuated microresonator may be tuned to a linear behavior by applying a convenient DC electric voltage to the piezoelectric layer, and so an undesirable shift of resonance frequency may be removed. If one lets the applied voltage to the piezoelectric layer be equal to zero, this paper would be an effort to tailor the linear and nonlinear stiffness coefficients of two layered electrically actuated microresonators without the assumption that the lengths of the two layers are equal

  14. The Relationship of Body Length and Ratio Pappilla with Sex in Gobi Fish (Sicyopterus macrostetholepis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rona Taula Sari

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Research about the relationship of body length and ratio papilla with sex in goby fish (S. macrostetholepis Blkr. has been done at Animal Structure and Developmental Laboratory, Biologi Department, Faculty of Matematics and Natural Sciences, Andalas University, Padang, which purposed to analyse the relationship of body length and ratio papilla with sex of goby fish (S. macrostetholepis Blkr.. The samples were taken in wild stream area at Batangkuranji river, Padang City. This research used descriptive method and data were analyzed by qualitatively and quantitatively. The results of investigation showed that in several goby fishes (S. macrostetholepis Blkr. with different sex had the same of body length and the same of ratio papilla. So, there was not relationship between of body length and ratio papilla with sex.  Goby fishes (S. macrostetholepis Blkr. it belongs to the hermaphrodite protogini, which the androgynous young females, while in adulthood, it would change sex to male. The results of this study are expected to add to the treasures of knowledge and information about reproductive gobies (S. macrostetholepis Blkr. in the preservation and development of fish farming.   

  15. PLZT-based photovoltaic Piezoelectric Transformer with light feedback

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kozielski, L [University of Silesia, Dep. Materials Sc, 2, Sniezna St. Sosnowiec, 41-200 Poland (Poland); Adamczyk, M [University of Silesia, Institute Phys., 4, Uniwersytecka St. Katowice, 40-007 Poland (Poland); Erhart, J, E-mail: lucjan.kozielski@us.edu.pl [Technical University of Liberec, Studencka St. 2, CZ-461 17 Liberec (Czech Republic)

    2011-10-29

    Piezoelectric Transformer (PT) converts an electrical AC input voltage into ultrasonic vibrations and reconverts back to an output as AC voltage. Hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics is typically used for fabrications of such devices. In case of lanthaniun ion La{sup 3+} addition in PZT solid solution we can achieve piezoelectric ceramics with good transparency exhibiting both optical Pockels and Kerr effects. Values of these coefficients in the PLZT system are much bigger than in LiNbO{sub 3} or SBN single crystals. Among the various PLZT compositions 8/65/35, near the morphotropic boundary, exhibit large electrooptic effect and thus have found applications in light shutters and displays. In the present study we have investigated radial mode piezoelectric transformer based on optically transparent PLZT8/65/35 ceramics. The effect of the UV light generated photovoltage and photostriction on the efficiency and voltage step-up ratio of piezoelectric transformer have been demonstrated. Novel functions of this device is proposed by superimposing two sophistically coupled effects of piezoelectricity and photostriction.

  16. Piezoelectric valve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrenko, Serhiy Fedorovich

    2013-01-15

    A motorized valve has a housing having an inlet and an outlet to be connected to a pipeline, a saddle connected with the housing, a turn plug having a rod, the turn plug cooperating with the saddle, and a drive for turning the valve body and formed as a piezoelectric drive, the piezoelectric drive including a piezoelectric generator of radially directed standing acoustic waves, which is connected with the housing and is connectable with a pulse current source, and a rotor operatively connected with the piezoelectric generator and kinematically connected with the rod of the turn plug so as to turn the turn plug when the rotor is actuated by the piezoelectric generator.

  17. Width/Length Ratio in Maxillary Anterior Teeth. Comparative Study of Esthetic Preferences among Professionals and Laypersons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Álvarez-Álvarez, Lorena; Orozco-Varo, Ana; Arroyo-Cruz, Gema; Jiménez-Castellanos, Emilio

    2017-05-17

    Many studies have examined the esthetic preferences of professionals in the maxillary anterior region; however, only a few have taken into account the ratios that are more frequent within the population or other ratios suggested in the literature as ideal. Previous studies also failed to compare them with the esthetic preferences of the lay population with regards to the smile. The purpose of this study is to highlight the differences when perceiving the esthetics of smiles between general dentists and laypersons, and linking them with the width/length of the maxillary anterior teeth. Photographs of the full face of a female subject were modified with Photoshop CS regarding the length/width relationships of the 6 maxillary anterior teeth. The three modifications made were: (a) 80% length/width, (b) 85%, length/width, and (c) 85% length/width in central incisors, 80% length/width in lateral incisors and canines. Three sequences of photograph pairs were created with different ratios and presented in PowerPoint to a sample of 100 general dentists and 100 laypersons. The ratio considered as the most esthetic by the majority of the judges was 85% for central incisors and 80% for lateral incisors and canines, with a statistically significant difference (p esthetic preferences of the studied populations either due to gender or professional experience of the dentists (p > 0.01). According to the results obtained in this study, professionals and laypersons considered a width/length ratio of 85% for maxillary central incisors and 80% for lateral incisors and canines as the most esthetic for maxillary anterior teeth. These results do not support findings from other studies previously published with similar ratios in central incisors, lateral incisors, and canines. Today clinicians practice in a treatment environment where not only function and utility but also esthetics is demanded in almost every procedure. Restoring/maintaining function is considered essential in any

  18. Wave propagations of curvilinear motors driven by partially laminated piezoelectric actuators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smithmaitrie, Pruittikorn; Suybangdum, Panumas; Muensit, Supasarote; Tzou, Horn-Sen

    2008-01-01

    A piezoelectric arc stator is the key component delivering driving actions to an ultrasonic curvilinear motor. The arc stator drives the rotor along the arc structure to any specific angular position. Usually conventional stators in ultrasonic motors are fully bounded with piezoelectric patch actuators. To reduce production costs while maintaining similar driving characteristics, an arc stator partially bonded with piezoelectric actuators is proposed and its dynamic characteristics are analyzed in this study. The effect of actuator locations on the wave propagation is investigated. Both analytical and finite element results demonstrate similar dynamic responses. That is, the response of the wave propagation depends on specific locations of piezoelectric actuators. One of the two configurations investigated shows that the partially laminated piezoelectric actuator pattern can also generate rather steady traveling waves on the stator with consistent wave amplitude. This implies that the partially laminated actuator technique could be an alternative actuator pattern to the fully laminated actuators in the design of ultrasonic curvilinear motors or other finite-length ultrasonic motors

  19. Measurement of the internal stress and electric field in a resonating piezoelectric transformer for high-voltage applications using the electro-optic and photoelastic effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    VanGordon, James A; Kovaleski, Scott D; Norgard, Peter; Gall, Brady B; Dale, Gregory E

    2014-02-01

    The high output voltages from piezoelectric transformers are currently being used to accelerate charged particle beams for x-ray and neutron production. Traditional methods of characterizing piezoelectric transformers (PTs) using electrical probes can decrease the voltage transformation ratio of the device due to the introduction of load impedances on the order of hundreds of kiloohms to hundreds of megaohms. Consequently, an optical diagnostic was developed that used the photoelastic and electro-optic effects present in piezoelectric materials that are transparent to a given optical wavelength to determine the internal stress and electric field. The combined effects of the piezoelectric, photoelastic, and electro-optic effects result in a time-dependent change the refractive indices of the material and produce an artificially induced, time-dependent birefringence in the piezoelectric material. This induced time-dependent birefringence results in a change in the relative phase difference between the ordinary and extraordinary wave components of a helium-neon laser beam. The change in phase difference between the wave components was measured using a set of linear polarizers. The measured change in phase difference was used to calculate the stress and electric field based on the nonlinear optical properties, the piezoelectric constitutive equations, and the boundary conditions of the PT. Maximum stresses of approximately 10 MPa and electric fields of as high as 6 kV/cm were measured with the optical diagnostic. Measured results were compared to results from both a simple one-dimensional (1D) model of the piezoelectric transformer and a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model. Measured stresses and electric fields along the length of an operating length-extensional PT for two different electrical loads were within at least 50 % of 3D finite element simulated results. Additionally, the 3D finite element results were more accurate than the results from the 1D model

  20. Measurement of the internal stress and electric field in a resonating piezoelectric transformer for high-voltage applications using the electro-optic and photoelastic effects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    VanGordon, James A.; Kovaleski, Scott D., E-mail: kovaleskis@missouri.edu; Norgard, Peter; Gall, Brady B. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211 (United States); Dale, Gregory E. [High Power Electrodynamics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

    2014-02-15

    The high output voltages from piezoelectric transformers are currently being used to accelerate charged particle beams for x-ray and neutron production. Traditional methods of characterizing piezoelectric transformers (PTs) using electrical probes can decrease the voltage transformation ratio of the device due to the introduction of load impedances on the order of hundreds of kiloohms to hundreds of megaohms. Consequently, an optical diagnostic was developed that used the photoelastic and electro-optic effects present in piezoelectric materials that are transparent to a given optical wavelength to determine the internal stress and electric field. The combined effects of the piezoelectric, photoelastic, and electro-optic effects result in a time-dependent change the refractive indices of the material and produce an artificially induced, time-dependent birefringence in the piezoelectric material. This induced time-dependent birefringence results in a change in the relative phase difference between the ordinary and extraordinary wave components of a helium-neon laser beam. The change in phase difference between the wave components was measured using a set of linear polarizers. The measured change in phase difference was used to calculate the stress and electric field based on the nonlinear optical properties, the piezoelectric constitutive equations, and the boundary conditions of the PT. Maximum stresses of approximately 10 MPa and electric fields of as high as 6 kV/cm were measured with the optical diagnostic. Measured results were compared to results from both a simple one-dimensional (1D) model of the piezoelectric transformer and a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model. Measured stresses and electric fields along the length of an operating length-extensional PT for two different electrical loads were within at least 50 % of 3D finite element simulated results. Additionally, the 3D finite element results were more accurate than the results from the 1D model

  1. Reliable Piezoelectricity in Bilayer WSe2 for Piezoelectric Nanogenerators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ju-Hyuck; Park, Jae Young; Cho, Eun Bi; Kim, Tae Yun; Han, Sang A; Kim, Tae-Ho; Liu, Yanan; Kim, Sung Kyun; Roh, Chang Jae; Yoon, Hong-Joon; Ryu, Hanjun; Seung, Wanchul; Lee, Jong Seok; Lee, Jaichan; Kim, Sang-Woo

    2017-08-01

    Recently, piezoelectricity has been observed in 2D atomically thin materials, such as hexagonal-boron nitride, graphene, and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Specifically, exfoliated monolayer MoS 2 exhibits a high piezoelectricity that is comparable to that of traditional piezoelectric materials. However, monolayer TMD materials are not regarded as suitable for actual piezoelectric devices due to their insufficient mechanical durability for sustained operation while Bernal-stacked bilayer TMD materials lose noncentrosymmetry and consequently piezoelectricity. Here, it is shown that WSe 2 bilayers fabricated via turbostratic stacking have reliable piezoelectric properties that cannot be obtained from a mechanically exfoliated WSe 2 bilayer with Bernal stacking. Turbostratic stacking refers to the transfer of each chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown WSe 2 monolayer to allow for an increase in degrees of freedom in the bilayer symmetry, leading to noncentrosymmetry in the bilayers. In contrast, CVD-grown WSe 2 bilayers exhibit very weak piezoelectricity because of the energetics and crystallographic orientation. The flexible piezoelectric WSe 2 bilayers exhibit a prominent mechanical durability of up to 0.95% of strain as well as reliable energy harvesting performance, which is adequate to drive a small liquid crystal display without external energy sources, in contrast to monolayer WSe 2 for which the device performance becomes degraded above a strain of 0.63%. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. The Golden ratio, ionic and atomic radii and bond lengths

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Heyrovská, Rajalakshmi

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 103, 6-8 (2005), s. 877-882 ISSN 0026-8976 R&D Projects: GA MPO(CZ) 1H-PK/42 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40400503 Keywords : Bohr radius * bond lengths * axial ratios Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 1.351, year: 2005

  3. Quadratic electromechanical strain in silicon investigated by scanning probe microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Junxi; Esfahani, Ehsan Nasr; Zhu, Qingfeng; Shan, Dongliang; Jia, Tingting; Xie, Shuhong; Li, Jiangyu

    2018-04-01

    Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is a powerful tool widely used to characterize piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity at the nanoscale. However, it is necessary to distinguish microscopic mechanisms between piezoelectricity and non-piezoelectric contributions measured by PFM. In this work, we systematically investigate the first and second harmonic apparent piezoresponses of a silicon wafer in both vertical and lateral modes, and we show that it exhibits an apparent electromechanical response that is quadratic to the applied electric field, possibly arising from ionic electrochemical dipoles induced by the charged probe. As a result, the electromechanical response measured is dominated by the second harmonic response in the vertical mode, and its polarity can be switched by the DC voltage with the evolving coercive field and maximum amplitude, in sharp contrast to typical ferroelectric materials we used as control. The ionic activity in silicon is also confirmed by the scanning thermo-ionic microscopy measurement, and the work points toward a set of methods to distinguish true piezoelectricity from the apparent ones.

  4. Finger Length Ratio (2D:4D) in Central India and an Attempt to Verify Fraternal Birth Order Effect: A Population Based Cross-Sectional Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maitra, Arjun; Maitra, Chaitali; Jha, Dilip Kumar; Biswas, Rakesh

    2016-12-01

    A normal physiology of a human being is not mere a series of functions occurring with specific intensities and timing. There are lot of factors that may change the normal physiological activity within normal limits. Finger length ratio is one of the markers of intrauterine androgen exposure and it is debated and contradicted by many authors. Digit ratio varies among the ethnicities. Many Indian studies show that there is considerable difference in finger length ratio in different population. Data regarding Central India was not found on extensive search. To find out the finger length ratio and explore the birth order effect on finger length ratio among the first two successive born in the said population. We conducted a survey on 1500 volunteer persons (800 male and 700 female) over two years of time. We measured the length of the index finger (2D) and ring finger (4D) of both the hands and asked about their birth order history to find out the digit ratio for Central India population and any existing correlation of the same with birth order. T Test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used for the measure of significance and difference among the groups. The peffect among the eldest, second born with elder brother and second born with elder sister groups, no significant (p>0.05) variation for finger length ratio of right and left hands observed in both male and female population. Our study reports that the finger length ratio (2D:4D) for Central India population did not show significant association between finger length ratio and fraternal birth order among the first two successive born.

  5. Auxetic piezoelectric energy harvesters for increased electric power output

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiang Li

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This letter presents a piezoelectric bimorph with auxetic (negative Poisson’s ratio behaviors for increased power output in vibration energy harvesting. The piezoelectric bimorph comprises a 2D auxetic substrate sandwiched between two piezoelectric layers. The auxetic substrate is capable of introducing auxetic behaviors and thus increasing the transverse stress in the piezoelectric layers when the bimorph is subjected to a longitudinal stretching load. As a result, both 31- and 32-modes are simultaneously exploited to generate electric power, leading to an increased power output. The increasing power output principle was theoretically analyzed and verified by finite element (FE modelling. The FE modelling results showed that the auxetic substrate can increase the transverse stress of a bimorph by 16.7 times. The average power generated by the auxetic bimorph is 2.76 times of that generated by a conventional bimorph.

  6. Fabrication and modelling of 3-3 piezoelectric composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perry, Andrew John

    2002-07-01

    Three-dimensional modelling of a 3-3 piezoelectric structure was carried out using ANSYS finite element modelling software. Hydrophone figures of merit were calculated for structures with increasing amounts of interconnecting porosity. In addition to air being the second phase, polymer fillers were added to the three dimensional model in order to observe the effect of polymer Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio on the piezoelectric response of the composite material. Results show that increasing the porosity has the effect of improving the hydrostatic piezoelectric properties for applications such as low frequency hydrophones. The optimum amount of porosity depends on the figure of merit to be maximised. In order to validate model predictions, porous piezoelectric structures were fabricated by either the BurPS (Burnt out Polymer Spheres) method or polymer foam reticulation. Corresponding measurements of piezoelectric coefficients were carried out on the porous samples. Experimental results confirmed finite element modelling predictions. PZT-porosity composites and PZT-polymer composites were produced exhibiting superior hydrostatic strain constant (d{sub h}), hydrostatic voltage constant (g{sub h}) and hydrostatic figure of merit (d{sub h}g{sub h}) compared to that of dense PZT. (author)

  7. Walk Ratio (Step Length/Cadence) as a Summary Index of Neuromotor Control of Gait: Application to Multiple Sclerosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rota, Viviana; Perucca, Laura; Simone, Anna; Tesio, Luigi

    2011-01-01

    In healthy adults, the step length/cadence ratio [walk ratio (WR) in mm/(steps/min) and normalized for height] is known to be constant around 6.5 mm/(step/min). It is a speed-independent index of the overall neuromotor gait control, in as much as it reflects energy expenditure, balance, between-step variability, and attentional demand. The speed…

  8. Tubular fluoropolymer arrays with high piezoelectric response

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhukov, Sergey; Eder-Goy, Dagmar; Biethan, Corinna; Fedosov, Sergey; Xu, Bai-Xiang; von Seggern, Heinz

    2018-01-01

    Polymers with electrically charged internal air cavities called ferroelectrets exhibit a pronounced piezoelectric effect and are regarded as soft functional materials suitable for sensor and actuator applications. In this work, a simple method for fabricating piezoelectret arrays with open-tubular channels is introduced. A set of individual fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP) tubes is compressed between two heated metal plates. The squeezed FEP tubes are melted together at +270 °C. The resulting structure is a uniform, multi-tubular, flat array that reveals a strong piezoelectric response after a poling step. The fabricated arrays have a high ratio between piezoelectrically active and non-active areas. The optimal charging voltage and stability of the piezoelectric coefficients with pressures and frequency were experimentally investigated for two specific array structures with wall thickness of 50 and 120 μm. The array fabricated from 50 μm thick FEP tubes reveals a stable and high piezoelectric coefficient of {d}33 = 120-160 pC N-1 with a flat frequency response between 0.1 Hz and 10 kHz for pressures between 1 and 100 kPa. An increase of wall thickness to 120 μm is accompanied by a more than twofold decrease in the piezoelectric coefficient as a result of a simultaneously higher effective array stiffness and lower remanent polarization. The obtained experimental results can be used to optimize the array design with regard to the electromechanical performance.

  9. Effect of length to thickness ratio on free vibration analysis of thick fiber reinforced plastic skew cross-ply laminate with circular cutout

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srividya, K.; Reddy, Ch. Kishore; Sumanth, Ch. Mohan; Krishnaiah, P. Gopala; Kishan, V. Mallikharjuna

    2018-04-01

    The present investigation deals with the free vibration analysis of a thick four-layered symmetric cross-ply skew laminated composite plate with a circular cutout. Three dimensional finite element models (FEM) which use the elasticity theory for the determination of stiffness matrices are modeled in ANSYS software to evaluate first five natural frequencies of the laminate. The variations of the first five natural frequencies with respect to length to thickness ratio (S) for different diameter to length ratios (d/l) are presented. It is observed that, the natural frequencies decreases with increase of thickness ratio(S).

  10. An Equivalent Circuit of Longitudinal Vibration for a Piezoelectric Structure with Losses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Tao; Li, Chaodong; Fan, Pingqing

    2018-03-22

    Equivalent circuits of piezoelectric structures such as bimorphs and unimorphs conventionally focus on the bending vibration modes. However, the longitudinal vibration modes are rarely considered even though they also play a remarkable role in piezoelectric devices. Losses, especially elastic loss in the metal substrate, are also generally neglected, which leads to discrepancies compared with experiments. In this paper, a novel equivalent circuit with four kinds of losses is proposed for a beamlike piezoelectric structure under the longitudinal vibration mode. This structure consists of a slender beam as the metal substrate, and a piezoelectric patch which covers a partial length of the beam. In this approach, first, complex numbers are used to deal with four kinds of losses-elastic loss in the metal substrate, and piezoelectric, dielectric, and elastic losses in the piezoelectric patch. Next in this approach, based on Mason's model, a new equivalent circuit is developed. Using MATLAB, impedance curves of this structure are simulated by the equivalent circuit method. Experiments are conducted and good agreements are revealed between experiments and equivalent circuit results. It is indicated that the introduction of four losses in an equivalent circuit can increase the result accuracy considerably.

  11. Ceramic piezoelectric materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaszuwara, W.

    2004-01-01

    Ceramic piezoelectric materials conert reversibility electric energy into mechanical energy. In the presence of electric field piezoelectric materials exhibit deformations up to 0.15% (for single crystals up to 1.7%). The deformation energy is in the range of 10 2 - 10 3 J/m 3 and working frequency can reach 10 5 Hz. Ceramic piezoelectric materials find applications in many modern disciplines such as: automatics, micromanipulation, measuring techniques, medical diagnostics and many others. Among the variety of ceramic piezoelectric materials the most important appear to be ferroelectric materials such as lead zirconate titanate so called PZT ceramics. Ceramic piezoelectric materials can be processed by methods widely applied for standard ceramics, i.e. starting from simple precursors e.g. oxides. Application of sol-gel method has also been reported. Substantial drawback for many applications of piezoelectric ceramics is their brittleness, thus much effort is currently being put in the development of piezoelectric composite materials. Other important research directions in the field of ceramic piezoelectric materials composite development of lead free materials, which can exhibit properties similar to the PZT ceramics. Among other directions one has to state processing of single crystals and materials having texture or gradient structure. (author)

  12. Modeling and analysis on ring-type piezoelectric transformers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Shine-Tzong

    2007-11-01

    This paper presents an electromechanical model for a ring-type piezoelectric transformer (PT). To establish this model, vibration characteristics of the piezoelectric ring with free boundary conditions are analyzed in advance. Based on the vibration analysis of the piezoelectric ring, the operating frequency and vibration mode of the PT are chosen. Then, electromechanical equations of motion for the PT are derived based on Hamilton's principle, which can be used to simulate the coupled electromechanical system for the transformer. Such as voltage stepup ratio, input impedance, output impedance, input power, output power, and efficiency are calculated by the equations. The optimal load resistance and the maximum efficiency for the PT will be presented in this paper. Experiments also were conducted to verify the theoretical analysis, and a good agreement was obtained.

  13. Experiments to Demonstrate Piezoelectric and Pyroelectric Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erhart, Jirí

    2013-01-01

    Piezoelectric and pyroelectric materials are used in many current applications. The purpose of this paper is to explain the basic properties of pyroelectric and piezoelectric effects and demonstrate them in simple experiments. Pyroelectricity is presented on lead zirconium titanate (PZT) ceramics as an electric charge generated by the temperature…

  14. Piezoelectric Flexible LCP-PZT Composites for Sensor Applications at Elevated Temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tolvanen, Jarkko; Hannu, Jari; Juuti, Jari; Jantunen, Heli

    2018-03-01

    In this paper fabrication of piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites is demonstrated via filament extrusion enabling cost-efficient large-scale production of highly bendable pressure sensors feasible for elevated temperatures. These composites are fabricated by utilizing environmentally resistant and stable liquid crystal polymer matrix with addition of lead zirconate titanate at loading levels of 30 vol%. These composites, of approximately 0.99 mm thick and length of > 50 cm, achieved excellent bendability with minimum bending radius of 6.6 cm. The maximum piezoelectric coefficients d33 and g33 of the composites were > 14 pC/N and > 108 mVm/N at pressure < 10 kPa. In all cases, the piezoelectric charge coefficient (d33) of the composites decreased as a function of pressure. Also, piezoelectric coefficient (d33) further decreased in the case of increased frequency press-release cycle sand pre-stress levels by approximately 37-50%. However, the obtained results provide tools for fabricating novel piezoelectric sensors in highly efficient way for environments with elevated temperatures.

  15. Influence of length-to-diameter ratio on shrinkage of basalt fiber concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruijie, MA; Yang, Jiansen; Liu, Yuan; Zheng, Xiaojun

    2017-09-01

    In order to study the shrinkage performance of basalt concrete, using the shrinkage rate as index, the work not only studied the influence of different length-to-diameter ratio (LDR) on plastic shrinkage and drying shrinkage of basalt fiber concrete, but also analyzed the action mechanism. The results show that when the fiber content is 0.1%, the LDR of 800 and 1200 take better effects on reducing plastic shrinkage, however the fiber content is 0.3%, that of LDR 600 is better. To improve drying shrinkage, the fiber of LDR 800 takes best effect. In the concrete structure, the adding basalt fibers form a uniform and chaotic supporting system, optimize the pore and the void structure of concrete, make the material further compacted, reduce the water loss, so as to decrease the shrinkage of concrete effectively.

  16. Simulation and parallel connection of step-down piezoelectric transformers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thang, Vo Viet; Kim, In Sung; Jeong, Soon Jong; Kim, Min Soo; Song, Jae Sung

    2012-01-01

    Piezoelectric transformers have been used widely in electronic circuits due to advantages such as high efficiency, miniaturization and no flammability; however the output power has been limited. For overcoming this drawback, some research has recently been focused on connections between piezoelectric transformers. Based on these operations, the output power has been improved compared to the single operation. Parallel operation of step-down piezoelectric transformers is presented in this paper. An important factor affecting the parallel operation of piezoelectric transformer was the resonance frequency, and a small difference in resonance frequencies was obtained with transformers having the same dimensions and fabricating processes. The piezoelectric transformers were found to operate in first radial mode at a frequency of 68 kHz. An equivalent circuit was used to investigate parallel driving of piezoelectric transformers and then to compare the result with experimental observations. The electrical characteristics, including the output voltage, output power and efficient were measured at a matching resistive load. Effects of frequency on the step-down ratio and of the input voltage on the power properties in the simulation were similar to the experimental results. The output power of the parallel operation was 35 W at a load of 50 Ω and an input voltage of 100 V; the temperature rise was 30 .deg. C and the efficiency was 88%.

  17. Nanoscale characterization of isolated individual type I collagen fibrils: polarization and piezoelectricity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minary-Jolandan, Majid; Yu, Min-Feng

    2009-02-25

    Piezoresponse force microscopy was applied to directly study individual type I collagen fibrils with diameters of approximately 100 nm isolated from bovine Achilles tendon. It was revealed that single collagen fibrils behave predominantly as shear piezoelectric materials with a piezoelectric coefficient on the order of 1 pm V(-1), and have unipolar axial polarization throughout their entire length. It was estimated that, under reasonable shear load conditions, the fibrils were capable of generating an electric potential up to tens of millivolts. The result substantiates the nanoscale origin of piezoelectricity in bone and tendons, and implies also the potential importance of the shear load-transfer mechanism, which has been the principle basis of the nanoscale mechanics model of collagen, in mechanoelectric transduction in bone.

  18. Fabrication and calibration of a piezoelectric nanocomposite paint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osho, Samuel; Wu, Nan; Aramfard, Mohammad; Deng, Chuang; Ojo, Olanrewaju

    2018-03-01

    A new liquid form piezoelectric nanocomposite paint material is fabricated with possible applications as dynamic strain sensors and/or piezoelectric transducers. The applied coating is in the form of low-cost paint, which is flexible and bonds strongly on a metallic surface after drying out via the solvent-casting method. The nanocomposite is produced by an ultrasonic mixture of varying percentages of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle water dispersion, poly vinyl acetate glue (PVA) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). ZnO nanoparticles are used as the piezoelectric sensing elements in a PVA matrix of the paint, while CNTs are introduced as robust bridge of ZnO particles enhancing the piezoelectricity and material properties. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images confirmed the linkages of ZnO nanoparticles in the composite by CNTs. Through piezoelectricity calibration, the optimum mixing ratio with the highest piezoelectricity is 78.1 wt% ZnO, 19.5 wt% PVA glue and 2.4 wt% multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Through nanoindentation tests for the characterization of the mechanical properties of the nano-composite paint, it is found that Young’s modulus and hardness reached a threshold point in the increment in the addition of CNTs to the paint before showing signs of decline. Detailed analysis and explanation of the calibration results and physical phenomenon are provided. The stable paint material is ready to be applied on rough area of engineering structures as sensor and transducer.

  19. Mastication noise reduction method for fully implantable hearing aid using piezo-electric sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Na, Sung Dae; Lee, Gihyoun; Wei, Qun; Seong, Ki Woong; Cho, Jin Ho; Kim, Myoung Nam

    2017-07-20

    Fully implantable hearing devices (FIHDs) can be affected by generated biomechanical noise such as mastication noise. To reduce the mastication noise using a piezo-electric sensor, the mastication noise is measured with the piezo-electric sensor, and noise reduction is practiced by the energy difference. For the experiment on mastication noise, a skull model was designed using artificial skull model and a piezo-electric sensor that can measure the vibration signals better than other sensors. A 1 kHz pure-tone sound through a standard speaker was applied to the model while the lower jawbone of the model was moved in a masticatory fashion. The correlation coefficients and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) before and after application of the proposed method were compared. It was found that the signal-to-noise ratio and correlation coefficients increased by 4.48 dB and 0.45, respectively. The mastication noise is measured by piezo-electric sensor as the mastication noise that occurred during vibration. In addition, the noise was reduced by using the proposed method in conjunction with MATLAB. In order to confirm the performance of the proposed method, the correlation coefficients and signal-to-noise ratio before and after signal processing were calculated. In the future, an implantable microphone for real-time processing will be developed.

  20. Haldane’s Rule Is Linked to Extraordinary Sex Ratios and Sperm Length in Stalk-Eyed Flies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkinson, Gerald S.; Christianson, Sarah J.; Brand, Cara L.; Ru, George; Shell, Wyatt

    2014-01-01

    We use three allopatric populations of the stalk-eyed fly Teleopsis dalmanni from Southeast Asia to test two predictions made by the sex chromosome drive hypothesis for Haldane’s rule. The first is that modifiers that suppress or enhance drive should evolve rapidly and independently in isolated populations. The second is that drive loci or modifiers should also cause sterility in hybrid males. We tested these predictions by assaying the fertility of 2066 males derived from backcross experiments involving two pairs of populations and found that the proportion of mated males that fail to produce any offspring ranged from 38 to 60% among crosses with some males producing strongly female-biased or male-biased sex ratios. After genotyping each male at 25–28 genetic markers we found quantitative trait loci (QTL) that jointly influence male sterility, sperm length, and biased progeny sex ratios in each pair of populations, but almost no shared QTL between population crosses. We also discovered that the extant XSR chromosome has no effect on sex ratio or sterility in these backcross males. Whether shared QTL are caused by linkage or pleiotropy requires additional study. Nevertheless, these results indicate the presence of a “cryptic” drive system that is currently masked by suppressing elements that are associated with sterility and sperm length within but not between populations and, therefore, must have evolved since the populations became isolated, i.e., in hybrid sterility. PMID:25164880

  1. On the coupling effects of piezoelectricity and flexoelectricity in piezoelectric nanostructures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liwen He

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Flexoelectricity is a novel kind of electromechanical coupling phenomenon that is prevalent in all solid dielectrics and usually of vital importance in nanostructures and soft materials. Although the fundamental theory of flexoelectric solids and related beam or plate theories were extensively studied in recent years, the coupling effect of flexoelectricity and piezoelectricity in piezoelectric nanostructures has not been completely clarified yet. In the present work, a geometrically nonlinear piezoelectric plate model is established with a focus on the coupling effect. The constitutive equations for piezoelectric plates are derived under both the electrically short-circuit and open-circuit conditions. It is found that due to the coupling between flexoelectricity and piezoelectricity, stretching-bending coupling stiffness arises in the homogeneous plate and its specific value relies on the applied electrical boundary conditions. The effects of the flexoelectric-piezoelectric coupling on the effective mechanical behavior and the electromechanical behavior of nanobeams and nanoplates are also discussed. The developed model and presented results are expected to benefit the design and analysis of piezoelectric and flexoelectric devices and systems.

  2. Piezoelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) Ring Shaped Contour-Mode MEMS Resonators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasambe, P. V.; Asgaonkar, V. V.; Bangera, A. D.; Lokre, A. S.; Rathod, S. S.; Bhoir, D. V.

    2018-02-01

    Flexibility in setting fundamental frequency of resonator independent of its motional resistance is one of the desired criteria in micro-electromechanical (MEMS) resonator design. It is observed that ring-shaped piezoelectric contour-mode MEMS resonators satisfy this design criterion than in case of rectangular plate MEMS resonators. Also ring-shaped contour-mode piezoelectric MEMS resonator has an advantage that its fundamental frequency is defined by in-plane dimensions, but they show variation of fundamental frequency with different Platinum (Pt) thickness referred as change in ratio of fNEW /fO . This paper presents the effects of variation in geometrical parameters and change in piezoelectric material on the resonant frequencies of Platinum piezoelectric-Aluminium ring-shaped contour-mode MEMS resonators and its electrical parameters. The proposed structure with Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) as the piezoelectric material was observed to be a piezoelectric material with minimal change in fundamental resonant frequency due to Platinum thickness variation. This structure was also found to exhibit extremely low motional resistance of 0.03 Ω as compared to the 31-35 Ω range obtained when using AlN as the piezoelectric material. CoventorWare 10 is used for the design, simulation and corresponding analysis of resonators which is Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis and design tool for MEMS devices.

  3. Photothermoacoustic effect in solids with piezoelectric detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kozachenko, V. V.; Kucherov, I.Ya.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: In the last few years, a growing interest has been expressed in studies of substances in different aggregate states which were performed with the help of the photothermoacoustic PTA effect. Main in this method is use of thermal waves as the carrier of the information about properties of explored substance. The excitation of thermal waves is carried out, as a rule, by modulated light flux. A specific feature of the PTA effect is the dependence of the information obtained from it on the method used for detecting thermal waves. One of the most sensitive methods for detecting a PTA signal is the piezoelectric method. For studies of solids, the PTA effect in plates offers considerable promise. In this work, PTA effect in a solid-piezoelectric layered structure is studied theoretically and experimentally. The layered plate consisting of an isotropic solid and piezoelectric crystal of a class 6 mm (or piezoelectric ceramics) is considered. The surface of a solid body is uniformly irradiated with a modulated light flux. The sample is heated and the thermal waves are generated. In the sample, the temperature field of thermal waves generates, due to the thermoelastic effect, acoustic vibration and waves that are registered by a piezoelectric. Expressions for the potential difference U across an arbitrary layer of piezoelectric transducer are derived. The solid bodies with various optical and thermal properties for cases of one-layer and two-layer piezoelectric transducer are analyzed. In particular, is shown, that for the case two-layer piezoelectric transducer, in the high-frequency region, the amplitude ratio U 1 / U 2 the tangent of the phase difference tg(Δφ) of signals taken from individual layers of the transducer depend almost linearly on the inverse square root of the frequency f -1/2 . With use of these features, the new method of definition of some elastic and thermal parameters of solid bodies offered. An experiment is performed with samples Cu, Fe

  4. Template-Assisted Hydrothermal Growth of Aligned Zinc Oxide Nanowires for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ou, Canlin; Sanchez-Jimenez, Pedro E; Datta, Anuja; Boughey, Francesca L; Whiter, Richard A; Sahonta, Suman-Lata; Kar-Narayan, Sohini

    2016-06-08

    A flexible and robust piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG) based on a polymer-ceramic nanocomposite structure has been successfully fabricated via a cost-effective and scalable template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method. Vertically aligned arrays of dense and uniform zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) with high aspect ratio (diameter ∼250 nm, length ∼12 μm) were grown within nanoporous polycarbonate (PC) templates. The energy conversion efficiency was found to be ∼4.2%, which is comparable to previously reported values for ZnO NWs. The resulting NG is found to have excellent fatigue performance, being relatively immune to detrimental environmental factors and mechanical failure, as the constituent ZnO NWs remain embedded and protected inside the polymer matrix.

  5. A piezoelectric transformer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Won, C. C.

    1993-01-01

    This work describes a modeling and design method whereby a piezoelectric system is formulated by two sets of second-order equations, one for the mechanical system, and the other for the electrical system, coupled through the piezoelectric effect. The solution to this electromechanical coupled system gives a physical interpretation of the piezoelectric effect as a piezoelectric transformer that is a part of the piezoelectric system, which transfers the applied mechanical force into a force-controlled current source, and short circuit mechanical compliance into capacitance. It also transfers the voltage source into a voltage-controlled relative velocity input, and free motional capacitance into mechanical compliance. The formulation and interpretation simplify the modeling of smart structures and lead to physical insight that aids the designer. Due to its physical realization, the smart structural system can be unconditional stable and effectively control responses. This new concept has been demonstrated in three numerical examples for a simple piezoelectric system.

  6. Analysis of a rectangular ceramic plate in electrically forced thickness-twist vibration as a piezoelectric transformer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jiashi; Liu, Jinjin; Li, Jiangyu

    2007-04-01

    A rectangular ceramic plate with appropriate electrical load and operating mode is analyzed for piezoelectric transformer application. An exact solution from the three-dimensional equations of linear piezoelectricity is obtained. The solution simulates the real operating situation of a transformer as a vibrating piezoelectric body connected to a circuit. Transforming ratio, input admittance, and efficiency of the transformer are obtained.

  7. Piezoelectric Motors, an Overview

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karl Spanner

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric motors are used in many industrial and commercial applications. Various piezoelectric motors are available in the market. All of the piezoelectric motors use the inverse piezoelectric effect, where microscopically small oscillatory motions are converted into continuous or stepping rotary or linear motions. Methods of obtaining long moving distance have various drive and functional principles that make these motors categorized into three groups: resonance-drive (piezoelectric ultrasonic motors, inertia-drive, and piezo-walk-drive. In this review, a comprehensive summary of piezoelectric motors, with their classification from initial idea to recent progress, is presented. This review also includes some of the industrial and commercial applications of piezoelectric motors that are presently available in the market as actuators.

  8. Size-dependent effective properties of anisotropic piezoelectric composites with piezoelectric nano-particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Ming-Juan; Fang, Xue-Qian; Liu, Jin-Xi; Feng, Wen-Jie; Zhao, Yong-Mao

    2015-01-01

    Based on the electro-elastic surface/interface theory, the size-dependent effective piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients of anisotropic piezoelectric composites that consist of spherically piezoelectric inclusions under a uniform electric field are investigated, and the analytical solutions for the elastic displacement and electric potentials are derived. With consideration of the coupling effects of elasticity, permittivity and piezoelectricity, the effective field method is introduced to derive the effective dielectric and piezoelectric responses in the dilute limit. The numerical examples show that the effective dielectric constant exhibits a significant variation due to the surface/interface effect. The dielectric property of the surface/interface displays greater effect than the piezoelectric property, and the elastic property shows little effect. A comparison with the existing results validates the present approach. (paper)

  9. Plate-fin array cooling using a finger-like piezoelectric fan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shyu, Jin-Cherng; Syu, Jhih-Zong

    2014-01-01

    In this study, the heat transfer of a plate-fin array cooled by a vibrating finger-like piezoelectric fan comprising four flexible rectangular blades was investigated. The results indicated that the heat transfer enhancement of the fin array cooled by a vibrating piezoelectric fan at x/L = 0.5 and H = 5 mm ranged between 1.5 and 3.3, regardless of the fin array orientation. However, the heat transfer enhancement caused by a fan being placed at either edge of the fin array yielded a dissimilar result between both of the fin array orientations because of the superimposed effects of the boundary layer development and the air flow induced by the fan. This dissimilarity was especially noticeable when the piezoelectric fan was composed of aluminum blades to accommodate the moderate Reynolds number. In addition to the Reynolds number, the ratio of the fan blade vibration envelope to the source area determined the Nu number of the piezoelectric fan-cooled fin array. This design enhanced the fin array heat transfer and reduced cooler volume by embedding multiple vibrating beams into the fin array. -- Highlights: • Heat transfer of a piezoelectric fan-cooled plate-fin array was investigated. • Effects of fan position, fan height and fan material on heat transfer were examined. • Similar heat transfer enhancement range was shown for both fin array orientations. • Fin heat transfer with a running Al fan at x = 0 was higher than that at x = 0.25L. • Besides fan Reynolds number, the area ratio also determined Nu of the fin array

  10. Helical Piezoelectric Energy Harvester and Its Application to Energy Harvesting Garments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minsung Kim

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a helical piezoelectric energy harvester, examine its application to clothes in the form of an energy harvesting garment, and analyze its design and characteristics. The helical harvester is composed of an elastic core and a polymer piezoelectric strap twining the core. The fabricated harvester is highly elastic and can be stretched up to 158% of its initial length. Following the experiments using three different designs, the maximum output power is measured as 1.42 mW at a 3 MΩ load resistance and 1 Hz motional frequency. The proposed helical harvesters are applied at four positions of stretchable tight-fitting sportswear, namely shoulder, arm joint, knee, and hip. The maximum output voltage is measured as more than 20 V from the harvester at the knee position during intended body motions. In addition, electric power is also generated from this energy harvesting garment during daily human motions, which is about 3.9 V at the elbow, 3.1 V at the knee, and 4.4 V at the knee during push-up, walking, and squatting motions, respectively.

  11. Piezoelectric drive circuit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treu, C.A. Jr.

    1999-08-31

    A piezoelectric motor drive circuit is provided which utilizes the piezoelectric elements as oscillators and a Meacham half-bridge approach to develop feedback from the motor ground circuit to produce a signal to drive amplifiers to power the motor. The circuit automatically compensates for shifts in harmonic frequency of the piezoelectric elements due to pressure and temperature changes. 7 figs.

  12. Theoretical and experimental research on the influence of multiple piezoelectric effects on physical parameters of piezoelectric actuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liping Shi

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Compared with the traditional actuator of machinery and electricity, the piezoelectric actuator has the advantages of a compact structure, small volume, no mechanical friction, athermancy and no electromagnetic interference. Therefore, it has high application value in the fields of MEMS, bioengineering, medical science and so on. This article draws conclusions from the influence of multiple piezoelectric effects on the physical parameters (dielectric coefficient, equivalent capacity, energy conversion and piezoelectric coefficient of piezoelectric actuators. These data from theoretical and experimental research show the following: (1 The rate between the dielectric coefficient of piezoelectric in mechanical freedom and clamping is obtained from the secondary direct piezoelectric effect, which enhances the dielectric property, increases the dielectric coefficient and decreases the coefficient of dielectric isolation; (2 Under external field, E n ( ex = E 1 , exterior stress T = 0, that is to say, under the boundary condition of mechanical freedom, piezoelectric can store electric energy and elasticity, which obtains power density, elastic density and an electromechanical coupling factor; (3 According to the piezoelectric strain S i ( 1 , piezoelectric displacement D m ( 2 and piezoelectric strain S i ( 3 of multiple piezoelectric effects, when the dielectric coefficient of the first converse piezoelectric effect ε33 is 1326 and the dielectric coefficient of the secondary direct piezoelectric effect increases to 3336, the dielectric coefficient of the ceramic chip increases. When the piezoelectric coefficient of the first converse piezoelectric effect d33 is 595 and the piezoelectric coefficient of the secondary direct piezoelectric effect decreases to 240, the piezoelectric coefficient of the ceramic chip will decrease. It is of major significance both in the applications and in basic theory to research the influence of multiple piezoelectric

  13. Piezoelectric Motors, an Overview

    OpenAIRE

    Karl Spanner; Burhanettin Koc

    2016-01-01

    Piezoelectric motors are used in many industrial and commercial applications. Various piezoelectric motors are available in the market. All of the piezoelectric motors use the inverse piezoelectric effect, where microscopically small oscillatory motions are converted into continuous or stepping rotary or linear motions. Methods of obtaining long moving distance have various drive and functional principles that make these motors categorized into three groups: resonance-drive (piezoelectric ult...

  14. Piezoelectric materials selection for sensor applications using finite element and multiple attribute decision-making approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anuruddh Kumar

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the selection and performance evaluation of a variety of piezoelectric materials for cantilever-based sensor applications. The finite element analysis method is implemented to evaluate the relative importance of materials properties such as Young's Modulus (E, piezoelectric stress constants (e31, dielectric constant (ε and Poisson's ratio (υ for cantilever-based sensor applications. An analytic hierarchy process (AHP is used to assign weights to the properties that are studied for the sensor structure under study. A technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS is used to rank the performance of the piezoelectric materials in the context of sensor voltage outputs. The ranking achieved by the TOPSIS analysis is in good agreement with the results obtained from finite element method simulation. The numerical simulations show that K0.5Na0.5NbO3–LiSbO3 (KNN–LS materials family is important for sensor application. Young's modulus (E is most influencing material's property followed by piezoelectric constant (e31, dielectric constant (ε and Poisson's ratio (υ for cantilever-based piezoelectric sensor applications.

  15. Recession in a linear stepper motor based on piezoelectric actuator and electrorheological clampers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Cuihong; Meng, Yonggang; Tian, Yu

    2012-01-01

    A linear inchworm-type stepper motor based on piezoelectric actuator and comb shape electrorheological (ER) clampers was developed and tested. A recession phenomenon in the movement of the motor was found and was significantly affected by the driving voltage of the piezoelectric actuator and ER fluids. A dynamic model to analyze the mechanism of the recession was established. The force ratio of the viscoelastic clamping force (applied high electric field) to the viscous damping force (zero field) of ER fluids is the critical factor which determines the recession. The ratio is also affected by the extension or contraction rate of the actuator during movement, which is affected by the charging and discharging processes. With a relatively large distance between the clamper electrodes and a small displacement activated by the extension of the piezoelectric actuator, the instantaneous shear rate might not be sufficiently high, preventing ER fluids from attaining a shear-thickened and high-strength state. The ratio of yield strength to the viscous strength of ER fluids during movement should be as large as possible to reduce the recession displacement. (paper)

  16. Analysis on and Optimization of a Circular Piezoelectric Composite Laminate for a Micro-Pump Driver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia, Jianyuan; Wang, Weidong; Huang, Xinbo

    2002-01-01

    Among the various micro-pump actuation devices, piezoelectric composite laminate actuation has become an effective method. Due to lacking of analysis treatments, the design of this type micro-pump is in a great limitation. In this paper, an electromechanical-coupled mechanics model is established for the circle-flake micro-actuator. A kind of analysis and design method is presented that piezoelectric plate's radial strain induced by inverse piezoelectric effect is equivalently substituted with transverse stress on piezoelectric composite laminates. It is pointed out that the equivalent transverse load depends on the edge electric field distribution of parallel plate capacitor. The question has been solved that where the neutral plane in the piezoelectric composite laminates lies. Finally, an optimization design is developed on the radius ratio of piezoelectric-to-silicon plate radius by utilizing of FEA modeling

  17. The Ratio of Second to Fourth Digit Length (2D:4D in Children with Autistic Disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javad Baharara

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Emerging hypotheses suggest a causal role for prenatal androgen exposure in some cases of Autism spectrum disorders (ASD. The ratios of the lengths of the bones of the 2nd to the 4th digits (2D:4D are purported to be markers for prenatal androgen exposure and to be established early in gestation. Ratio of second and fourth digits (2D:4D  is usually used as a proxy for prenatal testosterone. Methods and Materials In this study, 2D:4D in 48 children with ASD and in 41  control child was measured. Two groups were matched with the gender and age. Both groups were selected by convenience sampling method. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 19.0 software, considering as significant less than .05 (p < .05. Results: Results showed that the average ratio of 2D:4D in ASD children were lower than the ratio in control children (P

  18. A size dependent dynamic model for piezoelectric nanogenerators: effects of geometry, structural and environmental parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadeghzadeh, Sadegh; Farshad Mir Saeed Ghazi, Seyyed

    2018-03-01

    Piezoelectric Nanogenerator (PENG) is one of the novel energy harvester systems that recently, has been a subject of interest for researchers. By the use of nanogenerators, it’s possible to harvest different forms of energy in the environment like mechanical vibrations and generate electricity. The structure of a PENG consists of vertical arrays of nanowires between two electrodes. In this paper, dynamic analysis of a PENG is studied numerically. The modified couple stress theory which includes one length scale material parameter is used to study the size-dependent behavior of PENGs. Then, by application of a complete form of linear hybrid piezoelectric—pyroelectric equations, and using the Euler-Bernoulli beam model, the equations of motion has been derived. Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method was employed to solve the equations of motion. The effect of damping ratio, temperature rise, excitation frequency and length scale parameter was studied. It was found that the PENG voltage maximizes at the resonant frequency of nanowire. The temperature rise has a significant effect on PENG’s efficiency. When temperature increases about 10 {{K}}, the maximum voltage increases about 26%. Increasing the damping ratio, the maximum voltage decreases gradually.

  19. Using Piezoelectric Devices to Transmit Power through Walls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Bao, Xiaoqi

    2008-01-01

    A method denoted wireless acoustic-electric feed-through (WAEF) has been conceived for transmitting power and/or data signals through walls or other solid objects made of a variety of elastic materials that could be electrically conductive or nonconductive. WAEF would make it unnecessary to use wires, optical fibers, tubes, or other discrete wall-penetrating signal-transmitting components, thereby eliminating the potential for structural weakening or leakage at such penetrations. Avoidance of such penetrations could be essential in some applications in which maintenance of pressure, vacuum, or chemical or biological isolation is required. In a basic WAEF setup, a transmitting piezoelectric transducer on one side of a wall would be driven at resonance to excite ultrasonic vibrations in the wall. A receiving piezoelectric transducer on the opposite side of the wall would convert the vibrations back to an ultrasonic AC electric signal, which would then be detected and otherwise processed in a manner that would depend on the modulation (if any) applied to the signal and whether the signal was used to transmit power, data, or both. An electromechanical-network model has been derived as a computationally efficient means of analyzing and designing a WAEF system. This model is a variant of a prior model, known in the piezoelectric-transducer art as Mason's equivalent-circuit model, in which the electrical and mechanical dynamics, including electromechanical couplings, are expressed as electrical circuit elements that can include inductors, capacitors, and lumped-parameter complex impedances. The real parts of the complex impedances are used to account for dielectric, mechanical, and coupling losses in all components (including all piezoelectric-transducer, wall, and intermediate material layers). In an application to a three-layer piezoelectric structure, this model was shown to yield the same results as do solutions of the wave equations of piezoelectricity and acoustic

  20. Numerical Analysis of Ultrasonic Beam Profile Due to the Change of the Number of Piezoelectric Elements for Phased Array Transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Sang Woo; Lee, Joon Hyun

    1999-01-01

    A phased array is a multi-element piezoelectric device whose elements are individually excited by electric pulses at programmed delay time. One of the advantages of using phased array in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) application over conventional ultrasonic transducers is their great maneuverability of ultrasonic beam. There are some parameters such as the number and the size of the piezoelectric elements and the inter-element spacing of the elements to design phased array transducer. In this study, the characteristic of ultrasonic beam for phased array transducer due to the variation of the number of elements has been simulated for ultrasonic SH-wave on the basis of Huygen's principle. Ultrasonic beam directivity and focusing due to the change of time delay of each element were discussed due to the change of the number of piezoelectric elements. It was found that ultrasonic beam was much more spreaded and hence its sound pressure was decreased as steering angle of ultrasonic beam was increased. In addition, the ability of ultrasonic bean focusing decreased gradually with the increase of focal length at the same piezoelectric elements. However, the ability of beam focusing was improved as the number of consisting elements was increased

  1. Development of a Piezoelectric Vacuum Sensing Component for a Wide Pressure Range

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bing-Yu Wang

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we develop a clamped–clamped beam-type piezoelectric vacuum pressure sensing element. The clamped–clamped piezoelectric beam is composed of a PZT layer and a copper substrate. A pair of electrodes is set near each end. An input voltage is applied to a pair of electrodes to vibrate the piezoelectric beam, and the output voltage is measured at the other pair. Because the viscous forces on the piezoelectric beam vary at different air pressures, the vibration of the beam depends on the vacuum pressure. The developed pressure sensor can sense a wide range of pressure, from 6.5 × 10−6 to 760 Torr. The experimental results showed that the output voltage is inversely proportional to the gas damping ratio, and thus, the vacuum pressure was estimated from the output voltage.

  2. Relevance of collagen piezoelectricity to "Wolff's Law": a critical review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Andrew C; Grodzinsky, Alan J

    2009-09-01

    According to "Wolff's Law", bone is deposited and reinforced at areas of greatest stress. From a clinical perspective, this "law" is supported by the strong association between bone density and physical activity. From a mechanistic standpoint, however, the law presents a challenge to scientists seeking to understand how osteocytes and osteoblasts sense the mechanical load. In the 1960s, collagen piezoelectricity was invoked as a potential mechanism by which osteocytes could detect areas of greater stress but piezoelectricity diminished in importance as more compelling mechanisms, such as streaming potential, were identified. In addition, accumulating evidence for the role of fluid-related shear stress in osteocyte's mechanosensory function has made piezoelectricity seemingly more obsolete in bone physiology. This review critically evaluates the role of collagen piezoelectricity (if any) in Wolff's Law--specifically, the evidence regarding its involvement in strain-generated potentials, existing alternate mechanisms, the present understanding of bone mechanosensation, and whether piezoelectricity serves an influential role within the context of this newly proposed mechanism. In addition to reviewing the literature, this review generates several hypotheses and proposes future research to fully address the relevance of piezoelectricity in bone physiology.

  3. Piezoelectric transducer parameter selection for exciting a single mode from multiple modes of Lamb waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Hai-Yan; Yu Jian-Bo

    2011-01-01

    Excitation and propagation of Lamb waves by using rectangular and circular piezoelectric transducers surface-bonded to an isotropic plate are investigated in this work. Analytical stain wave solutions are derived for the two transducer shapes, giving the responses of these transducers in Lamb wave fields. The analytical study is supported by a numerical simulation using the finite element method. Symmetric and antisymmetric components in the wave propagation responses are inspected in detail with respect to test parameters such as the transducer geometry, the length and the excitation frequency. By placing only one piezoelectric transducer on the top or the bottom surface of the plate and weakening the strength of one mode while enhancing the strength of the other modes to find the centre frequency, with which the peak wave amplitude ratio between the S0 and A0 modes is maximum, a single mode excitation from the multiple modes of the Lamb waves can be achieved approximately. Experimental data are presented to show the validity of the analyses. The results are used to optimize the Lamb wave detection system. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

  4. High-Temperature Piezoelectric Sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoning Jiang

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric sensing is of increasing interest for high-temperature applications in aerospace, automotive, power plants and material processing due to its low cost, compact sensor size and simple signal conditioning, in comparison with other high-temperature sensing techniques. This paper presented an overview of high-temperature piezoelectric sensing techniques. Firstly, different types of high-temperature piezoelectric single crystals, electrode materials, and their pros and cons are discussed. Secondly, recent work on high-temperature piezoelectric sensors including accelerometer, surface acoustic wave sensor, ultrasound transducer, acoustic emission sensor, gas sensor, and pressure sensor for temperatures up to 1,250 °C were reviewed. Finally, discussions of existing challenges and future work for high-temperature piezoelectric sensing are presented.

  5. An optimal approach to active damping of nonlinear vibrations in composite plates using piezoelectric patches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saviz, M R

    2015-01-01

    In this paper a nonlinear approach to studying the vibration characteristic of laminated composite plate with surface-bonded piezoelectric layer/patch is formulated, based on the Green Lagrange type of strain–displacements relations, by incorporating higher-order terms arising from nonlinear relations of kinematics into mathematical formulations. The equations of motion are obtained through the energy method, based on Lagrange equations and by using higher-order shear deformation theories with von Karman–type nonlinearities, so that transverse shear strains vanish at the top and bottom surfaces of the plate. An isoparametric finite element model is provided to model the nonlinear dynamics of the smart plate with piezoelectric layer/ patch. Different boundary conditions are investigated. Optimal locations of piezoelectric patches are found using a genetic algorithm to maximize spatial controllability/observability and considering the effect of residual modes to reduce spillover effect. Active attenuation of vibration of laminated composite plate is achieved through an optimal control law with inequality constraint, which is related to the maximum and minimum values of allowable voltage in the piezoelectric elements. To keep the voltages of actuator pairs in an allowable limit, the Pontryagin’s minimum principle is implemented in a system with multi-inequality constraint of control inputs. The results are compared with similar ones, proving the accuracy of the model especially for the structures undergoing large deformations. The convergence is studied and nonlinear frequencies are obtained for different thickness ratios. The structural coupling between plate and piezoelectric actuators is analyzed. Some examples with new features are presented, indicating that the piezo-patches significantly improve the damping characteristics of the plate for suppressing the geometrically nonlinear transient vibrations. (paper)

  6. Optical 'dampening' of the refractive error to axial length ratio: implications for outcome measures in myopia control studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruickshank, Fiona E; Logan, Nicola S

    2018-05-01

    To gauge the extent to which differences in the refractive error axial length relationship predicted by geometrical optics are observed in actual refractive/biometric data. This study is a retrospective analysis of existing data. Right eye refractive error [RX] and axial length [AXL] data were collected on 343 6-to-7-year-old children [mean 7.18 years (S.D. 0.35)], 294 12-to-13-year-old children [mean 13.12 years (S.D. 0.32)] and 123 young adults aged 18-to-25-years [mean 20.56 years (S.D. 1.91)]. Distance RX was measured with the Shin-Nippon NVision-K 5001 infrared open-field autorefractor. Child participants were cyclopleged prior to data collection (1% Cyclopentolate Hydrochloride). Myopia was defined as a mean spherical equivalent [MSE] ≤-0.50 D. Axial length was measured using the Zeiss IOLMaster 500. Optical modelling was based on ray tracing and manipulation of parameters of a Gullstrand reduced model eye. There was a myopic shift in mean MSE with age (6-7 years +0.87 D, 12-13 years -0.06 D and 18-25 years -1.41 D), associated with an increase in mean AXL (6-7 years 22.70 mm, 12-13 years 23.49 mm and 18-25 years 23.98 mm). There was a significant negative correlation between MSE and AXL for all age groups (all p theory predicts that there will be a reduction in the RX: AXL ratio with longer eyes. The participant data although adhering to this theory show a reduced effect, with eyes with longer axial lengths having a lower refractive error to axial length ratio than predicted by model eye calculations. We propose that in myopia control intervention studies when comparing efficacy, consideration should be given to the dampening effect seen with a longer eye. © 2018 The Authors. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of College of Optometrists.

  7. Relationship between width and length ratios of upper anterior teeth in young Chilean population.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Troncoso-Pazos

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Knowledge about the size and proportion of upper anterior teeth allows dental rehabilitation taking into consideration the local parameters of a population. The aim of this research is to determine the width, length and the relationship between width and length of central incisor, lateral incisor and canine teeth in both sexes in young Chilean population. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was performed. Study subjects included 187 dentistry students from two Chilean cities (mean age 21.35±2.7 years, 52.9% men. The teeth width and height were measured and the width/height ratio was calculated. Differences in measurements according to sex was analyzed (p<0.05; STATA v.10.0. Results: The width and height of the teeth were statistically and proportionally larger in men (p<0.05. The width/height ratio of lateral and canine incisors was significantly higher in women (p<0.05. Conclusion: In a sample of young Chileans, upper anterior teeth were longer and wider in men. However, the width/height ratio of teeth was found to be significantly higher in women.

  8. Critical electrode size in measurement of d33 coefficient of films via spatial distribution of piezoelectric displacement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Zhihong; Miao Jianmin

    2008-01-01

    Spatial distributions of piezoelectric displacement response across the top electrode have been used in this paper to measure the piezoelectric coefficient d 33 of films based on the converse piezoelectric effect. The technical details and features of a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer have been summarized and discussed for accurately obtaining the spatial displacement distributions. Three definitions, including the apparent, the effective and the constrained piezoelectric coefficient d 33 of films, have been clarified and used to better understand the fundamental phenomenon behind the measured displacement distributions. Finite element analysis reveals that both the apparent and the effective piezoelectric coefficients depend on the electrode radius of test capacitor as well as film thickness. However, there exists a critical electrode size for apparent piezoelectric coefficients and a critical test capacitor aspect ratio for effective piezoelectric coefficient. Beyond their respective critical values, both coefficients converge to the constrained piezoelectric coefficient irrespective of film thickness. The finding of the critical electric size makes it possible to consistently measure the constrained piezoelectric coefficient of films by using the spatial distributions of the piezoelectric displacement response and becomes the fundamental criterion of this measurement method

  9. A spiral motion piezoelectric micromotor for autofocus and auto zoom in a medical endoscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xi; Chen, Zhijiang; Li, Xiaotian; Shan, Liang; Sun, Wanchen; Wang, Xiguang; Xie, Tianyu; Dong, Shuxiang

    2016-02-01

    We report a hollow type piezoelectric micromotor made of a PZT ceramic/metal composite cylinder with sizes of only 3.6 mm in diameter and 3.0 mm in length aiming at medical endoscope application. The hollow piezoelectric stator of the micromotor, acting as a nut, can excite E02-mode traveling wave along its circumferential direction, and a hollow rotor with a fine lens inside, acting as a screw, is driven to produce a spiral motion along its axis direction inside the hollow stator via the traveling wave. The features of the developed micromotors are its hollow, fine structure and submicrometer step resolution, ensuring that the optical path passes in a narrow and limited space and that the optical focal length is tuned precisely inside the endoscope, which is meaningful in medical diagnosis.

  10. Piezoelectric effect on the thermal conductivity of monolayer gallium nitride

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jin

    2018-01-01

    Using molecular dynamics and density functional theory simulations, in this work, we find that the heat transport property of the monolayer gallium nitride (GaN) can be efficiently tailored by external electric field due to its unique piezoelectric characteristic. As the monolayer GaN possesses different piezoelectric properties in armchair and zigzag directions, different effects of the external electric field on thermal conductivity are observed when it is applied in the armchair and zigzag directions. Our further study reveals that due to the elastoelectric effect in the monolayer GaN, the external electric field changes the Young's modulus and therefore changes the phonon group velocity. Also, due to the inverse piezoelectric effect, the applied electric field induces in-plane stress in the monolayer GaN subject to a length constraint, which results in the change in the lattice anharmonicity and therefore affects the phonon mean free path. Furthermore, for relatively long GaN monolayers, the in-plane stress may trigger the buckling instability, which can significantly reduce the phonon mean free path.

  11. Applications of Piezoelectric Ceramics

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Applications of Piezoelectric Ceramics. Piezoelectric Actuators. Nano and Micropositioners. Vibration Control Systems. Computer Printers. Piezoelectric Transformers,Voltage Generators, Spark Plugs, Ultrasonic Motors,. Ultrasonic Generators and Sensors. Sonars, Medical Diagnostic. Computer Memories. NVFRAM ...

  12. Analysis of rosen piezoelectric transformers with a varying cross-section.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, H; Yang, J; Hu, Y

    2008-07-01

    We study the effects of a varying cross-section on the performance of Rosen piezoelectric transformers operating with length extensional modes of rods. A theoretical analysis is performed using an extended version of a one-dimensional model developed in a previous paper. Numerical results based on the theoretical analysis are presented.

  13. A theory of piezoelectric laminates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giangreco, E.

    1997-01-01

    A theory of piezoelectric laminates is rationally derived from the three-dimensional Voigt theory of piezoelectricity. The present theory is a generalization to piezoelectric laminates of the Reissner-Mindlin-type layer-wise theory of elastic laminates. Both a differential formulation and a variational formulation of the piezoelectric laminate problem are presented. The proposed theory is adopted in the analysis of simple problems, in order to verify its effectiveness. The results it provides turn out to be in good agreement with the results supplied by the Voigt theory of piezoelectricity

  14. On the Energy Conversion Efficiency of Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesting Devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jae Eun [Catholic University of Daegu, Kyungsan (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    To properly design and assess a piezoelectric vibration energy harvester, it is necessary to consider the application of an efficiency measure of energy conversion. The energy conversion efficiency is defined in this work as the ratio of the electrical output power to the mechanical input power for a piezoelectric vibration energy harvester with an impedance-matched load resistor. While previous research works employed the electrical output power for approximate impedance-matched load resistance, this work derives an efficiency measure considering optimally matched resistance. The modified efficiency measure is validated by comparing it with finite element analysis results for piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters with three different values of the electro-mechanical coupling coefficient. New findings on the characteristics of energy conversion and conversion efficiency are also provided for the two different impedance matching methods.

  15. Vibro-Shock Dynamics Analysis of a Tandem Low Frequency Resonator—High Frequency Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darius Žižys

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Frequency up-conversion is a promising technique for energy harvesting in low frequency environments. In this approach, abundantly available environmental motion energy is absorbed by a Low Frequency Resonator (LFR which transfers it to a high frequency Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester (PVEH via impact or magnetic coupling. As a result, a decaying alternating output signal is produced, that can later be collected using a battery or be transferred directly to the electric load. The paper reports an impact-coupled frequency up-converting tandem setup with different LFR to PVEH natural frequency ratios and varying contact point location along the length of the harvester. RMS power output of different frequency up-converting tandems with optimal resistive values was found from the transient analysis revealing a strong relation between power output and LFR-PVEH natural frequency ratio as well as impact point location. Simulations revealed that higher power output is obtained from a higher natural frequency ratio between LFR and PVEH, an increase of power output by one order of magnitude for a doubled natural frequency ratio and up to 150% difference in power output from different impact point locations. The theoretical results were experimentally verified.

  16. Induced piezoelectricity in isotropic biomaterial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmerman, R L

    1976-01-01

    Isotropic material can be made to exhibit piezoelectric effects by the application of a constant electric field. For insulators, the piezoelectric strain constant is proportional to the applied electric field and for semiconductors, an additional out-of-phase component of piezoelectricity is proportional to the electric current density in the sample. The two induced coefficients are proportional to the strain-dependent dielectric constant (depsilon/dS + epsilon) and resistivity (drho/dS - rho), respectively. The latter is more important at frequencies such that rhoepsilonomega less than 1, often the case in biopolymers.Signals from induced piezoelectricity in nature may be larger than those from true piezoelectricity. PMID:990389

  17. Investigation of geometric design in piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems diaphragms for ultrasonic energy harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Qiongfeng; Wang, Tao; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Lee, Chengkuo

    2016-05-01

    Acoustic energy transfer (AET) has been widely used for contactless energy delivery to implantable devices. However, most of the energy harvesters (ultrasonic receivers) for AET are macro-scale transducers with large volume and limited operation bandwidth. Here, we propose and investigate two microelectromechanical systems diaphragm based piezoelectric ultrasonic energy harvesters (PUEHs) as an alternative for AET. The proposed PUEHs consist of micro-scale diaphragm array with different geometric parameter design. Diaphragms in PUEH-1 have large length to width ratio to achieve broadband property, while its energy harvesting performance is compromised. Diaphragms in PUEH-2 have smaller length to width ratio and thinner thickness to achieve both broadband property and good energy harvesting performance. Both PUEHs have miniaturized size and wide operation bandwidth that are ideally suitable to be integrated as power source for implantable biomedical devices. PUEH-1 has a merged -6 dB bandwidth of 74.5% with a central frequency of 350 kHz. PUEH-2 has two separate -6 dB bandwidth of 73.7%/30.8% with central frequencies of 285 kHz/650 kHz. They can adapt to various ultrasonic sources with different working frequency spectrum. Maximum output power is 34.3 nW and 84.3 nW for PUEH-1 and PUEH-2 at 1 mW/cm2 ultrasound intensity input, respectively. The associated power density is 0.734 μW/cm2 and 4.1 μW/cm2, respectively. Better energy harvesting performance is achieved for PUEH-2 because of the optimized length to width ratio and thickness design. Both PUEHs offer more alignment flexibility with more than 40% power when they are in the range of the ultrasound transmitter.

  18. Notes on Piezoelectricity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Redondo, Antonio [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-02-03

    These notes provide a pedagogical discussion of the physics of piezoelectricity. The exposition starts with a brief analysis of the classical (continuum) theory of piezoelectric phenomena in solids. The main subject of the notes is, however, a quantum mechanical analysis. We first derive the Frohlich Hamiltonian as part of the description of the electron-phonon interaction. The results of this analysis are then employed to derive the equations of piezoelectricity. A couple of examples with the zinc blende and and wurtzite structures are presented at the end

  19. PSpice Modeling of a Sandwich Piezoelectric Ceramic Ultrasonic Transducer in Longitudinal Vibration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Yuan; Yao, Wenqing; Zhang, Lei

    2017-09-30

    Sandwiched piezoelectric transducers are widely used, especially in high power applications. For more convenient analysis and design, a PSpice lossy model of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers in longitudinal vibration is proposed by means of the one-dimensional wave and transmission line theories. With the proposed model, the resonance and antiresonance frequencies are obtained, and it is shown that the simulations and measurements have good consistency. For the purpose of further verification the accuracy and application of the PSpice model, a pitch-catch setup and an experimental platform are built. They include two sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and two aluminum cylinders whose lengths are 20 mm and 100 mm respectively. Based on this pitch-catch setup, the impedance and transient analysis are performed. Compared with the measured results, it is shown that the simulated results have good consistency. In addition, the conclusion can be drawn that the optimal excitation frequency for the pitch-catch setup is not necessarily the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers, because the resonance frequency is obtained under no load. The proposed PSpice model of the sandwiched piezoelectric transducer is more conveniently applied to combine with other circuits such as driving circuits, filters, amplifiers, and so on.

  20. Active Piezoelectric Vibration Control of Subscale Composite Fan Blades

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffy, Kirsten P.; Choi, Benjamin B.; Provenza, Andrew J.; Min, James B.; Kray, Nicholas

    2012-01-01

    As part of the Fundamental Aeronautics program, researchers at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) are investigating new technologies supporting the development of lighter, quieter, and more efficient fans for turbomachinery applications. High performance fan blades designed to achieve such goals will be subjected to higher levels of aerodynamic excitations which could lead to more serious and complex vibration problems. Piezoelectric materials have been proposed as a means of decreasing engine blade vibration either through a passive damping scheme, or as part of an active vibration control system. For polymer matrix fiber composite blades, the piezoelectric elements could be embedded within the blade material, protecting the brittle piezoceramic material from the airflow and from debris. To investigate this idea, spin testing was performed on two General Electric Aviation (GE) subscale composite fan blades in the NASA GRC Dynamic Spin Rig Facility. The first bending mode (1B) was targeted for vibration control. Because these subscale blades are very thin, the piezoelectric material was surface-mounted on the blades. Three thin piezoelectric patches were applied to each blade two actuator patches and one small sensor patch. These flexible macro-fiber-composite patches were placed in a location of high resonant strain for the 1B mode. The blades were tested up to 5000 rpm, with patches used as sensors, as excitation for the blade, and as part of open- and closed-loop vibration control. Results show that with a single actuator patch, active vibration control causes the damping ratio to increase from a baseline of 0.3% critical damping to about 1.0% damping at 0 RPM. As the rotor speed approaches 5000 RPM, the actively controlled blade damping ratio decreases to about 0.5% damping. This occurs primarily because of centrifugal blade stiffening, and can be observed by the decrease in the generalized electromechanical coupling with rotor speed.

  1. Piezoelectric MEMS resonators

    CERN Document Server

    Piazza, Gianluca

    2017-01-01

    This book introduces piezoelectric microelectromechanical (pMEMS) resonators to a broad audience by reviewing design techniques including use of finite element modeling, testing and qualification of resonators, and fabrication and large scale manufacturing techniques to help inspire future research and entrepreneurial activities in pMEMS. The authors discuss the most exciting developments in the area of materials and devices for the making of piezoelectric MEMS resonators, and offer direct examples of the technical challenges that need to be overcome in order to commercialize these types of devices. Some of the topics covered include: Widely-used piezoelectric materials, as well as materials in which there is emerging interest Principle of operation and design approaches for the making of flexural, contour-mode, thickness-mode, and shear-mode piezoelectric resonators, and examples of practical implementation of these devices Large scale manufacturing approaches, with a focus on the practical aspects associate...

  2. Phosphorene under strain:electronic, mechanical and piezoelectric responses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drissi, L. B.; Sadki, S.; Sadki, K.

    2018-01-01

    Structural, electronic, elastic and piezoelectric properties of pure phosphorene under in-plane strain are investigated using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The two critical yielding points are determined along armchair and zigzag directions. It is shown that the buckling, the band gap and the charge transfer can be controlled under strains. A semiconductor to metallic transition is observed in metastable region. Polar plots of Young's modulus, Poisson ratio, sound velocities and Debye temperature exhibit evident anisotropic feature of phosphorene and indicate auxetic behavior for some angles θ. Our calculations show also that phosphorene has both in-plane and out-of-plane piezoelectric responses comparable to known 2D materials. The findings of this work reveal the great potential of pure phosphorene in nanomechanical applications.

  3. Pb(Zr,Ti)O3-Pb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3 piezoelectric thick films by aerosol deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, Jungho; Choi, Jong-Jin; Hahn, Byung-Dong; Yoon, Woon-Ha; Lee, Byoung-Kuk; Choi, Joon Hwan; Park, Dong-Soo

    2010-01-01

    Piezoelectric thick films of Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 -Pb(Mn 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 (PZT-PMnN) with Zr:Ti ratios ranging from 0.45:0.55 to 0.60:0.40 were fabricated on a platinized silicon wafer by aerosol deposition (AD). All the films were deposited with a thickness of 10 μm with high density. By adding PMnN to 57:43 PZT, a dielectric constant as low as ∼660 was achieved while the effective piezoelectric constant was over 140 pC/N. PZT-PMnN with a Zr:Ti ratio of 57:43 thus showed a maximum piezoelectric voltage constant (g 33 ) of 23.8 x 10 -3 Vm/N and is a good candidate for high quality thick films for application to high-energy density or high sensitivity, piezoelectric energy harvesters and sensors.

  4. Design, fabrication, and properties of 2-2 connectivity cement/polymer based piezoelectric composites with varied piezoelectric phase distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dongyu, Xu; Xin, Cheng; Shifeng, Huang; Banerjee, Sourav

    2014-01-01

    The laminated 2-2 connectivity cement/polymer based piezoelectric composites with varied piezoelectric phase distribution were fabricated by employing Lead Zirconium Titanate ceramic as active phase, and mixture of cement powder, epoxy resin, and hardener as matrix phase with a mass proportion of 4:4:1. The dielectric, piezoelectric, and electromechanical coupling properties of the composites were studied. The composites with large total volume fraction of piezoelectric phase have large piezoelectric strain constant and relative permittivity, and the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the composites are independent of the dimensional variations of the piezoelectric ceramic layer. The composites with small total volume fraction of piezoelectric phase have large piezoelectric voltage constant, but also large dielectric loss. The composite with gradually increased dimension of piezoelectric ceramic layer has the smallest dielectric loss, and that with the gradually increased dimension of matrix layer has the largest piezoelectric voltage constant. The novel piezoelectric composites show potential applications in fabricating ultrasonic transducers with varied surface vibration amplitude of the transducer

  5. A measurement method for piezoelectric material properties under longitudinal compressive stress–-a compression test method for thin piezoelectric materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Lae-Hyong; Lee, Dae-Oen; Han, Jae-Hung

    2011-01-01

    We introduce a new compression test method for piezoelectric materials to investigate changes in piezoelectric properties under the compressive stress condition. Until now, compression tests of piezoelectric materials have been generally conducted using bulky piezoelectric ceramics and pressure block. The conventional method using the pressure block for thin piezoelectric patches, which are used in unimorph or bimorph actuators, is prone to unwanted bending and buckling. In addition, due to the constrained boundaries at both ends, the observed piezoelectric behavior contains boundary effects. In order to avoid these problems, the proposed method employs two guide plates with initial longitudinal tensile stress. By removing the tensile stress after bonding a piezoelectric material between the guide layers, longitudinal compressive stress is induced in the piezoelectric layer. Using the compression test specimens, two important properties, which govern the actuation performance of the piezoelectric material, the piezoelectric strain coefficients and the elastic modulus, are measured to evaluate the effects of applied electric fields and re-poling. The results show that the piezoelectric strain coefficient d 31 increases and the elastic modulus decreases when high voltage is applied to PZT5A, and the compression in the longitudinal direction decreases the piezoelectric strain coefficient d 31 but does not affect the elastic modulus. We also found that the re-poling of the piezoelectric material increases the elastic modulus, but the piezoelectric strain coefficient d 31 is not changed much (slightly increased) by re-poling

  6. Effects of lattice parameters on piezoelectric constants in wurtzite materials: A theoretical study using first-principles and statistical-learning methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momida, Hiroyoshi; Oguchi, Tamio

    2018-04-01

    Longitudinal piezoelectric constant (e 33) values of wurtzite materials, which are listed in a structure database, are calculated and analyzed by using first-principles and statistical learning methods. It is theoretically shown that wurtzite materials with high e 33 generally have small lattice constant ratios (c/a) almost independent of constituent elements, and approximately expressed as e 33 ∝ c/a - (c/a)0 with ideal lattice constant ratio (c/a)0. This relation also holds for highly-piezoelectric ternary materials such as Sc x Al1- x N. We conducted a search for high-piezoelectric wurtzite materials by identifying materials with smaller c/a values. It is proposed that the piezoelectricity of ZnO can be significantly enhanced by substitutions of Zn with Ca.

  7. Stretchable piezoelectric nanocomposite generator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Kwi-Il; Jeong, Chang Kyu; Kim, Na Kyung; Lee, Keon Jae

    2016-01-01

    Piezoelectric energy conversion that generate electric energy from ambient mechanical and vibrational movements is promising energy harvesting technology because it can use more accessible energy resources than other renewable natural energy. In particular, flexible and stretchable piezoelectric energy harvesters which can harvest the tiny biomechanical motions inside human body into electricity properly facilitate not only the self-powered energy system for flexible and wearable electronics but also sensitive piezoelectric sensors for motion detectors and in vivo diagnosis kits. Since the piezoelectric ZnO nanowires (NWs)-based energy harvesters (nanogenerators) were proposed in 2006, many researchers have attempted the nanogenerator by using the various fabrication process such as nanowire growth, electrospinning, and transfer techniques with piezoelectric materials including polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer and perovskite ceramics. In 2012, the composite-based nanogenerators were developed using simple, low-cost, and scalable methods to overcome the significant issues with previously-reported energy harvester, such as insufficient output performance and size limitation. This review paper provides a brief overview of flexible and stretchable piezoelectric nanocomposite generator for realizing the self-powered energy system with development history, power performance, and applications.

  8. A sandwiched piezoelectric transducer with flex end-caps for energy harvesting in large force environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuang, Yang; Daniels, Alice; Zhu, Meiling

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a sandwiched piezoelectric transducer (SPT) for energy harvesting in large force environments with increased load capacity and electric power output. The SPT uses (1) flex end-caps to amplify the applied load force so as to increase its power output and (2) a sandwiched piezoelectric-substrate structure to reduce the stress concentration in the piezoelectric material so as to increase the load capacity. A coupled piezoelectric-circuit finite element model (CPC-FEM) was developed, which is able to directly predict the electric power output of the SPT connected to a load resistor. The CPC-FEM was used to study the effects of various parameters of the SPT on the performance to obtain an optimal design. These parameters included the substrate thickness, the end-cap material and thickness, the electrode length, the joint length, the end-cap internal angle and the PZT thickness. A prototype with optimised parameters was tested on a loading machine, and the experimental results were compared with simulation. A good agreement was observed between simulation and experiment. When subjected to a 1 kN 2 Hz sinusoidal force applied by the loading machine, the SPT produced an average power of 4.68 mW. The application of the SPT as a footwear energy harvester was demonstrated by fitting the SPT into a boot and performing the tests on a treadmill, and the SPT generated an average power of 2.5 mW at a walking speed of 4.8 km h −1 . (paper)

  9. Distributed parameter modeling to prevent charge cancellation for discrete thickness piezoelectric energy harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnasamy, M.; Qian, Feng; Zuo, Lei; Lenka, T. R.

    2018-03-01

    The charge cancellation due to the change of strain along single continuous piezoelectric layer can remarkably affect the performance of a cantilever based harvester. In this paper, analytical models using distributed parameters are developed with some extent of averting the charge cancellation in cantilever piezoelectric transducer where the piezoelectric layers are segmented at strain nodes of concerned vibration mode. The electrode of piezoelectric segments are parallelly connected with a single external resistive load in the 1st model (Model 1). While each bimorph piezoelectric layers are connected in parallel to a resistor to form an independent circuit in the 2nd model (Model 2). The analytical expressions of the closed-form electromechanical coupling responses in frequency domain under harmonic base excitation are derived based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam assumption for both models. The developed analytical models are validated by COMSOL and experimental results. The results demonstrate that the energy harvesting performance of the developed segmented piezoelectric layer models is better than the traditional model of continuous piezoelectric layer.

  10. The Effect of Electrical Impedance Matching on the Electromechanical Characteristics of Sandwiched Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Yang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available For achieving the power maximum transmission, the electrical impedance matching (EIM for piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers is highly required. In this paper, the effect of EIM networks on the electromechanical characteristics of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers is investigated in time and frequency domains, based on the PSpice model of single sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer. The above-mentioned EIM networks include, series capacitance and parallel inductance (I type and series inductance and parallel capacitance (II type. It is shown that when I and II type EIM networks are used, the resonance and anti-resonance frequencies and the received signal tailing are decreased; II type makes the electro-acoustic power ratio and the signal tailing smaller whereas it makes the electro-acoustic gain ratio larger at resonance frequency. In addition, I type makes the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient increase and II type makes it decrease; II type make the power spectral density at resonance frequency more dramatically increased. Specially, the electro-acoustic power ratio has maximum value near anti-resonance frequency, while the electro-acoustic gain ratio has maximum value near resonance frequency. It can be found that the theoretically analyzed results have good consistency with the measured ones.

  11. Modeling of MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters using electromagnetic and power system theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, Mahmoud Al; Alshareef, H N; Elshurafa, Amro M; Salama, Khaled N

    2011-01-01

    This work proposes a novel methodology for estimating the power output of piezoelectric generators. An analytical model that estimates for the first time the loss ratio and output power of piezoelectric generators based on the direct mechanical-to-electrical analogy, electromagnetic theory, and power system theory is developed. The mechanical-to-electrical analogy and power system theory allow the derivation of an equivalent input impedance expression for the network, whereas electromagnetic transmission line theory allows deduction of the equivalent electromechanical loss of the piezoelectric generator. By knowing the mechanical input power and the loss of the network, calculation of the output power of the piezoelectric device becomes a straightforward procedure. Experimental results based on published data are also presented to validate the analytical solution. In order to fully benefit from the well-established electromagnetic transmission line and electric circuit theories, further analyses on the resonant frequency, bandwidth, and sensitivity are presented. Compared to the conventional modeling methods currently being adopted in the literature, the proposed method provides significant additional information that is crucial for enhanced device operation and quick performance optimization

  12. A Piezoelectric Shear Stress Sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Taeyang; Saini, Aditya; Kim, Jinwook; Gopalarathnam, Ashok; Zhu, Yong; Palmieri, Frank L.; Wohl, Christopher J.; Jiang, Xiaoning

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, a piezoelectric sensor with a floating element was developed for shear stress measurement. The piezoelectric sensor was designed to detect the pure shear stress suppressing effects of normal stress generated from the vortex lift-up by applying opposite poling vectors to the: piezoelectric elements. The sensor was first calibrated in the lab by applying shear forces and it showed high sensitivity to shear stress (=91.3 +/- 2.1 pC/Pa) due to the high piezoelectric coefficients of PMN-33%PT (d31=-1330 pC/N). The sensor also showed almost no sensitivity to normal stress (less than 1.2 pC/Pa) because of the electromechanical symmetry of the device. The usable frequency range of the sensor is 0-800 Hz. Keywords: Piezoelectric sensor, shear stress, floating element, electromechanical symmetry

  13. Modeling and parametric analysis of a piezoelectric flexoelectric nanoactuator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baroudi Sourour

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available With the development of nanotechnology, nanoactuators have recently re-stimulated a surge of scientific interests in research communities. One of the interesting transduction mechanisms that showed high efficiency at the nanoscale was flexoelectricity. In fact, the flexoelectric effect in dielectric solids couples polarization and strain gradient, rather than polarization and strain for piezoelectricity, to convert mechanical stimulus into electricity and vice cersa. The objective of the current work is to develop a complete comprehensive electromechanical model of a nanobeam whose for piezoelectrically-actuated nanocantilever sensor in which both the flexoelectricity and piezoelectricity effects will be tzken into consideration. Starting from the enthalpy density function, the Hamilton’s principle is applied to drive the governing coupled equations with appropriate boundary conditions. Then, we investigate the free vibration of the mechanism by formulating the eigenvalue problem associated with the coupled partial differential equations. Using the Galerkin procedure we develop both the static and dynamic of our structure. The results show that a certain aspect ratio flexoelectric effect significantly increases the performance of the nanoactuator.

  14. Effects of mechanical deformation on energy conversion efficiency of piezoelectric nanogenerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoo, Jinho; Kim, Wook; Choi, Dukhyun; Cho, Seunghyeon; Kim, Chang-Wan; Kwon, Jang-Yeon; Kim, Hojoong; Kim, Seunghyun; Chang, Yoon-Suk

    2015-01-01

    Piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs) are capable of converting energy from various mechanical sources into electric energy and have many attractive features such as continuous operation, replenishment and low cost. However, many researchers still have studied novel material synthesis and interfacial controls to improve the power production from PNGs. In this study, we report the energy conversion efficiency (ECE) of PNGs dependent on mechanical deformations such as bending and twisting. Since the output power of PNGs is caused by the mechanical strain of the piezoelectric material, the power production and their ECE is critically dependent on the types of external mechanical deformations. Thus, we examine the output power from PNGs according to bending and twisting. In order to clearly understand the ECE of PNGs in the presence of those external mechanical deformations, we determine the ECE of PNGs by the ratio of output electrical energy and input mechanical energy, where we suggest that the input energy is based only on the strain energy of the piezoelectric layer. We calculate the strain energy of the piezoelectric layer using numerical simulation of bending and twisting of the PNG. Finally, we demonstrate that the ECE of the PNG caused by twisting is much higher than that caused by bending due to the multiple effects of normal and lateral piezoelectric coefficients. Our results thus provide a design direction for PNG systems as high-performance power generators. (paper)

  15. Unexpectedly high piezoelectricity of Sm-doped lead zirconate titanate in the Curie point region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seshadri, Shruti B; Nolan, Michelle M; Tutuncu, Goknur; Forrester, Jennifer S; Sapper, Eva; Esteves, Giovanni; Granzow, Torsten; Thomas, Pam A; Nino, Juan C; Rojac, Tadej; Jones, Jacob L

    2018-03-07

    Large piezoelectric coefficients in polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT) are traditionally achieved through compositional design using a combination of chemical substitution with a donor dopant and adjustment of the zirconium to titanium compositional ratio to meet the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). In this work, a different route to large piezoelectricity is demonstrated. Results reveal unexpectedly high piezoelectric coefficients at elevated temperatures and compositions far from the MPB. At temperatures near the Curie point, doping with 2 at% Sm results in exceptionally large piezoelectric coefficients of up to 915 pm/V. This value is approximately twice those of other donor dopants (e.g., 477 pm/V for Nb and 435 pm/V for La). Structural changes during the phase transitions of Sm-doped PZT show a pseudo-cubic phase forming ≈50 °C below the Curie temperature. Possible origins of these effects are discussed and the high piezoelectricity is posited to be due to extrinsic effects. The enhancement of the mechanism at elevated temperatures is attributed to the coexistence of tetragonal and pseudo-cubic phases, which enables strain accommodation during electromechanical deformation and interphase boundary motion. This work provides insight into possible routes for designing high performance piezoelectrics which are alternatives to traditional methods relying on MPB compositions.

  16. A nanoscale piezoelectric transformer for low-voltage transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agarwal, Sapan; Yablonovitch, Eli

    2014-11-12

    A novel piezoelectric voltage transformer for low-voltage transistors is proposed. Placing a piezoelectric transformer on the gate of a field-effect transistor results in the piezoelectric transformer field-effect transistor that can switch at significantly lower voltages than a conventional transistor. The piezoelectric transformer operates by using one piezoelectric to squeeze another piezoelectric to generate a higher output voltage than the input voltage. Multiple piezoelectrics can be used to squeeze a single piezoelectric layer to generate an even higher voltage amplification. Coupled electrical and mechanical modeling in COMSOL predicts a 12.5× voltage amplification for a six-layer piezoelectric transformer. This would lead to more than a 150× reduction in the power needed for communications.

  17. Piezoelectric Transformers: An Historical Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alfredo Vazquez Carazo

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric transformers (PTs are solid-state devices that transform electrical energy into electrical energy by means of a mechanical vibration. These devices are manufactured using piezoelectric materials that are driven at resonance. With appropriate design and circuitry, it is possible to step up and step down the voltages between the input and output sections of the piezoelectric transformer, without making use of magnetic materials and obtaining excellent conversion efficiencies. The initial concept of a piezoelectric ceramic transformer was proposed by Charles A. Rosen in 1954. Since then, the evolution of piezoelectric transformers through history has been linked to the relevant work of some excellent researchers as well as to the evolution in materials, manufacturing processes, and driving circuit techniques. This paper summarizes the historical evolution of the technology.

  18. RELEVANCE OF COLLAGEN PIEZOELECTRICITY TO “WOLFF’S LAW”: A CRITICAL REVIEW

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Andrew C.; Grodzinsky, Alan J.

    2009-01-01

    According to “Wolff’s Law”, bone is deposited and reinforced at areas of greatest stress. From a clinical perspective, this “law” is supported by the strong association between bone density and physical activity. From a mechanistic standpoint, however, the law presents a challenge to scientists seeking to understand how osteocytes and osteoblasts sense the mechanical load. In the 1960’s, collagen piezoelectricity was invoked as a potential mechanism by which osteocytes could detect areas of greater stress but piezoelectricity diminished in importance as more compelling mechanisms, such as streaming potential, were identified. In addition, accumulating evidence for the role of fluid-related shear stress in osteocyte’s mechanosensory function has made piezoelectricity seemingly more obsolete in bone physiology. This review critically evaluates the role of collagen piezoelectricity (if any) in Wolff’s Law – specifically, the evidence regarding its involvement in strain-generated potentials, existing alternate mechanisms, the present understanding of bone mechanosensation, and whether piezoelectricity serves an influential role within the context of this newly proposed mechanism. In addition to reviewing the literature, this review generates several hypotheses and proposes future research to fully address the relevance of piezoelectricity in bone physiology. PMID:19286413

  19. Miniature Piezoelectric Macro-Mass Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Trebi-Ollennu, Ashitey; Bonitz, Robert G.; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

    2010-01-01

    Mass balances usually use a strain gauge that requires an impedance measurement and is susceptible to noise and thermal drift. A piezoelectric balance can be used to measure mass directly by monitoring the voltage developed across the piezoelectric balance, which is linear with weight or it can be used in resonance to produce a frequency change proportional to the mass change (see figure). The piezoelectric actuator/balance is swept in frequency through its fundamental resonance. If a small mass is added to the balance, the resonance frequency shifts down in proportion to the mass. By monitoring the frequency shift, the mass can be determined. This design allows for two independent measurements of mass. Additionally, more than one sample can be verified because this invention allows for each sample to be transported away from the measuring device upon completion of the measurement, if required. A piezoelectric actuator, or many piezoelectric actuators, was placed between the collection plate of the sampling system and the support structure. As the sample mass is added to the plate, the piezoelectrics are stressed, causing them to produce a voltage that is proportional to the mass and acceleration. In addition, a change in mass delta m produces a change in the resonance frequency with delta f proportional to delta m. In a microgravity environment, the spacecraft could be accelerated to produce a force on the piezoelectric actuator that would produce a voltage proportional to the mass and acceleration. Alternatively, the acceleration could be used to force the mass on the plate, and the inertial effects of the mass on the plate would produce a shift in the resonance frequency with the change in frequency related to the mass change. Three prototypes of the mass balance mechanism were developed. These macro-mass balances each consist of a solid base and an APA 60 Cedrat flextensional piezoelectric actuator supporting a measuring plate. A similar structure with 3 APA

  20. Rare-Earth Calcium Oxyborate Piezoelectric Crystals ReCa4O(BO33: Growth and Piezoelectric Characterizations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fapeng Yu

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Rare-earth calcium oxyborate crystals, ReCa4O(BO33 (ReCOB, Re = Er, Y, Gd, Sm, Nd, Pr, and La , are potential piezoelectric materials for ultrahigh temperature sensor applications, due to their high electrical resistivity at elevated temperature, high piezoelectric sensitivity and temperature stability. In this paper, different techniques for ReCOB single-crystal growth are introduced, including the Bridgman and Czochralski pulling methods. Crystal orientations and the relationships between the crystallographic and physical axes of the monoclinic ReCOB crystals are discussed. The procedures for dielectric, elastic, electromechanical and piezoelectric property characterization, taking advantage of the impedance method, are presented. In addition, the maximum piezoelectric coefficients for different piezoelectric vibration modes are explored, and the optimized crystal cuts free of piezoelectric cross-talk are obtained by rotation calculations.

  1. One-shot Design of Radial Mode Piezoelectric Transformer for Magneticless Power Conversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meyer, Kaspar Sinding; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2011-01-01

    mathematical problem has been solved, that directly links wanted electrical specifications to the mechanical dimensions of a radial mode piezoelectric transformer. The novel outcome of this study is that the soft switching ability is directly linked to the ratio between the active volume of the primary......Piezoelectric Transformer based resonant power converters are an attractive alternative to magnetic power converters in applications requiring a power level currently less than 100W. Among the benefits are a power density up to 40W/cm3, a low profile, reduced radiated EMI and high system efficiency...... due to zero voltage switching commutation. The main criteria to take advantage of these benefits are, despite the fact that a PT is a piezoelectric capacitor, is optimization the transformer to behave inductively as a means to avoid excessive hard switching losses. With this objective, the inverse...

  2. Size-dependent dynamic stability analysis of microbeams actuated by piezoelectric voltage based on strain gradient elasticity theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sahmani, Saeid; Bahrami, Mohsen [Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2015-01-15

    In the current paper, dynamic stability analysis of microbeams subjected to piezoelectric voltage is presented in which the microbeam is integrated with piezoelectric layers on the lower and upper surfaces. Both of the flutter and divergence instabilities of microbeams with clamped-clamped and clamped-free boundary conditions are predicted corresponding to various values of applied voltage. To take size effect into account, the classical Timoshenko beam theory in conjunction with strain gradient elasticity theory is utilized to develop nonclassical beam model containing three additional internal length scale parameters. By using Hamilton's principle, the higher-order governing differential equations and associated boundary conditions are derived. Afterward, generalized differential quadrature method is employed to discretize the size-dependent governing differential equations along with clamped-clamped and clamped-free end supports. The critical piezoelectric voltages corresponding to various values dimensionless length scale parameter are evaluated and compared with those predicted by the classical beam theory. It is revealed that in the case of clamped-free boundary conditions, the both of flutter and divergence instabilities occur. However, for the clamped-clamped microbeams, only divergence instability takes place.

  3. PSpice Modeling of a Sandwich Piezoelectric Ceramic Ultrasonic Transducer in Longitudinal Vibration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoyuan Wei

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Sandwiched piezoelectric transducers are widely used, especially in high power applications. For more convenient analysis and design, a PSpice lossy model of sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers in longitudinal vibration is proposed by means of the one-dimensional wave and transmission line theories. With the proposed model, the resonance and antiresonance frequencies are obtained, and it is shown that the simulations and measurements have good consistency. For the purpose of further verification the accuracy and application of the PSpice model, a pitch-catch setup and an experimental platform are built. They include two sandwiched piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and two aluminum cylinders whose lengths are 20 mm and 100 mm respectively. Based on this pitch-catch setup, the impedance and transient analysis are performed. Compared with the measured results, it is shown that the simulated results have good consistency. In addition, the conclusion can be drawn that the optimal excitation frequency for the pitch-catch setup is not necessarily the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers, because the resonance frequency is obtained under no load. The proposed PSpice model of the sandwiched piezoelectric transducer is more conveniently applied to combine with other circuits such as driving circuits, filters, amplifiers, and so on.

  4. A Piezoelectric Cryogenic Heat Switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jahromi, Amir E.; Sullivan, Dan F.

    2014-01-01

    We have measured the thermal conductance of a mechanical heat switch actuated by a piezoelectric positioner, the PZHS (PieZo electric Heat Switch), at cryogenic temperatures. The thermal conductance of the PZHS was measured between 4 K and 10 K, and on/off conductance ratios greater than 100 were achieved when the positioner applied its maximum force of 8 N. We discuss the advantages of using this system in cryogenic applications, and estimate the ultimate performance of an optimized PZHS.

  5. Tunable electromechanical coupling of a carbon nanotube-reinforced variable cross-section nanoswitch with a piezoelectric effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, W D; Li, Y D; Wang, X

    2016-01-01

    An analytical method is presented to investigate the pull-in instability of a carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced variable cross-section nanoswitch with a piezoelectric effect. Governing equations with variable coefficients are derived based on the nonlocal beam model with geometrical nonlinearity and are solved using the shooting method. All the nonlinear effects of the piezoelectric voltage, van der Waals force, Casimir force, CNT volume fraction, nonlocal parameters and width ratio on the pull-in instability are investigated. The pull-in electrostatic voltage increases with the increment of nonlocal parameters, which exhibits the significant scale-dependent behavior of nanostructures. The results show that the variable cross-section improves the flexural rigidity of the cantilever-type nanoswitch effectively, and that the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric layer is utilized to control the electrostatic force induced by the voltage exerted on the elastic layer, owing to piezoelectric materials’ advantages of rapid response, light weight and low energy consumption. (paper)

  6. Structured Piezoelectric Composites: Materials and Applications

    OpenAIRE

    Van den Ende, D.A.

    2012-01-01

    The piezoelectric effect, which causes a material to generate a voltage when it deforms, is very suitable for making integrated sensors, and (micro-) generators. However, conventional piezoelectric materials are either brittle ceramics or certain polymers with a low thermal stability, which limits their practical application to certain specific fields. Piezoelectric composites, which contain an active piezoelectric (ceramic) phase in a robust polymer matrix, can potentially have better proper...

  7. The giant piezoelectric effect: electric field induced monoclinic phase or piezoelectric distortion of the rhombohedral parent?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kisi, E H; Piltz, R O; Forrester, J S; Howard, C J

    2003-01-01

    Lead zinc niobate-lead titanate (PZN-PT) single crystals show very large piezoelectric strains for electric fields applied along the unit cell edges e.g. [001] R . It has been widely reported that this effect is caused by an electric field induced phase transition from rhombohedral (R3m) to monoclinic (Cm or Pm) symmetry in an essentially continuous manner. Group theoretical analysis using the computer program ISOTROPY indicates phase transitions between R3m and Cm (or Pm) must be discontinuous under Landau theory. An analysis of the symmetry of a strained unit cell in R3m and a simple expansion of the piezoelectric strain equation indicate that the piezoelectric distortion due to an electric field along a cell edge in rhombohedral perovskite-based ferroelectrics is intrinsically monoclinic (Cm), even for infinitesimal electric fields. PZN-PT crystals have up to nine times the elastic compliance of other piezoelectric perovskites and it might be expected that the piezoelectric strains are also very large. A field induced phase transition is therefore indistinguishable from the piezoelectric distortion and is neither sufficient nor necessary to understand the large piezoelectric response of PZN-PT

  8. Measurement of absolute displacement-amplitude of ultrasonic wave using piezo-electric detection method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Seong Hyun; Kim, Jong Beom; Jhang, Kyung Young [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-02-15

    A nonlinear ultrasonic parameter is defined by the ratio of displacement amplitude of the fundamental frequency component to that of the second-order harmonic frequency component. In this study, the ultrasonic displacement amplitude of an SUS316 specimen was measured via a piezo-electric-based method to identify the validity of piezo-electric detection method. For comparison, the ultrasonic displacement was also determined via a laser-based Fabry-Pérot interferometer. The experimental results for both measurements were in good agreement. Additionally, the stability of the repeated test results from the piezo-electric method exceeded that of the laser-interferometric method. This result indicated that the piezo-electric detection method can be utilized to measure a nonlinear ultrasonic parameter due to its excellent stability although it involves a complicated process.

  9. Measurement of absolute displacement-amplitude of ultrasonic wave using piezo-electric detection method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Seong Hyun; Kim, Jong Beom; Jhang, Kyung Young

    2017-01-01

    A nonlinear ultrasonic parameter is defined by the ratio of displacement amplitude of the fundamental frequency component to that of the second-order harmonic frequency component. In this study, the ultrasonic displacement amplitude of an SUS316 specimen was measured via a piezo-electric-based method to identify the validity of piezo-electric detection method. For comparison, the ultrasonic displacement was also determined via a laser-based Fabry-Pérot interferometer. The experimental results for both measurements were in good agreement. Additionally, the stability of the repeated test results from the piezo-electric method exceeded that of the laser-interferometric method. This result indicated that the piezo-electric detection method can be utilized to measure a nonlinear ultrasonic parameter due to its excellent stability although it involves a complicated process

  10. Piezoelectric effects in biomaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimmerman, R.L.

    1976-03-01

    Precision methods have been developed for the simultaneous measurement of the complex piezoelectric stress constants and the electric conduction and polarization currents. Samples of Collagen, keratin, and chitin are prepared and measured in such a way to optimize the determination of the position and orientation of the electric dipole moments. The temperature and the hydration state of the samples are varied during the measurement of the piezoelectric constants in an effort to understand the role of water in biological material. Above 40 0 C, the inherent piezolectricity is enhanced by the water of hydration, in contrast to the more easily understood reduction observed at lower temperatures. Gelatin, which has no inherent piezoelectricity, displays a piezoelectricity proportional to the currents of conduction and polarization. An analysis of the new effect shows that it is a measure of the variation of the resistivity with deformation (d rho/dS - rho) in the same way that the electric field induced piezoelectricity is a measure of the variation of the dielectric constant with deformation (dk/dS + k). Both are sensitive to electric dipole relaxation effects. (Author) [pt

  11. Structural and electrical characterization of PZT on gold for micromachined piezoelectric membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robinson, M.C.; Morris, D.J.; Hayenga, P.D.; Cho, J.H.; Richards, C.D.; Richards, R.F.; Bahr, D.F.

    2006-01-01

    Piezoelectric membranes have been fabricated that incorporate a gold bottom electrode with an adhesion layer of titanium-tungsten (10:90 wt. %). For solution-deposited acetic acid based lead zirconate titanate (HoAc-PZT) with a Zr:Ti ratio of 40:60, the film's average piezoelectric coefficient, e 31 , is -5.31 C/m 2 , with a dielectric constant of 814 at 200 Hz, which is similar to values for platinum bottom electrodes. The PZT structure remains columnar on both types of bottom electrodes. Initial fabrication attempts resulted in cracking that initiated in the PZT layer of the structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was utilized to establish how processing affects diffusion throughout the composite membrane structure. Crack-free membranes were fabricated and tested. This paper discusses the performance properties and piezoelectric fatigue results for these membranes. (orig.)

  12. Study on the piezoelectric behavior and structural changes of strontium doped PZT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, M.S. da; Lemos, L.; Souza, E.F.; Cavalheiro, A.A.; Longo, E.; Zaghete, M.A.

    2014-01-01

    Lead zirconate titanate, with Zr/Ti ratio of 53/47 was prepared by the polymeric precursor method. The powders were doped with 0.0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mol% of Sr 2+ and the effects of Sr 2+ additions on piezoelectric properties and on the phase constitution were investigated by XRD. The percentages of tetragonal and rhombohedral phases were calculated through Rietveld refinement. The results indicated that addition of Sr 2+ ions in the amount of 0.4 mol% in the ceramic structure maximally increase the values of piezoelectric parameter to d 33 = 289 μC/N and K p = 0.43. The values found for the piezoelectric properties were among the highest at the concentration of 0.4 mol% of strontium and this composition showed the highest structural change from the rhombohedral to the tetragonal phase perovskita. (author)

  13. Design and kinetic analysis of piezoelectric energy harvesters with self-adjusting resonant frequency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu-Jen, Wang; Tsung-Yi, Chuang; Jui-Hsin, Yu

    2017-09-01

    Vibration-based energy harvesters have been developed as power sources for wireless sensor networks. Because the vibration frequency of the environment is varied with surrounding conditions, how to design an adaptive energy harvester is a practical topic. This paper proposes a design for a piezoelectric energy harvester possessing the ability to self-adjust its resonant frequency in rotational environments. The effective length of a trapezoidal cantilever is extended by centrifugal force from a rotating wheel to vary its area moment of inertia. The analytical solution for the natural frequency of the piezoelectric energy harvester was derived from the parameter design process, which could specify a structure approaching resonance at any wheel rotating frequency. The kinetic equation and electrical damping induced by power generation were derived from a Lagrange method and a mechanical-electrical coupling model, respectively. An energy harvester with adequate parameters can generate power at a wide range of car speeds. The output power of an experimental prototype composed of piezoelectric thin films and connected to a 3.3 MΩ external resistor was approximately 70-140 μW at wheel speeds ranging from 200 to 700 RPM. These results demonstrate that the proposed piezoelectric energy harvester can be applied as a power source for the wireless tire pressure monitoring sensor.

  14. Piezoelectric MEMS: Ferroelectric thin films for MEMS applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanno, Isaku

    2018-04-01

    In recent years, piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have attracted attention as next-generation functional microdevices. Typical applications of piezoelectric MEMS are micropumps for inkjet heads or micro-gyrosensors, which are composed of piezoelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films and have already been commercialized. In addition, piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters (PVEHs), which are regarded as one of the key devices for Internet of Things (IoT)-related technologies, are promising future applications of piezoelectric MEMS. Significant features of piezoelectric MEMS are their simple structure and high energy conversion efficiency between mechanical and electrical domains even on the microscale. The device performance strongly depends on the function of the piezoelectric thin films, especially on their transverse piezoelectric properties, indicating that the deposition of high-quality piezoelectric thin films is a crucial technology for piezoelectric MEMS. On the other hand, although the difficulty in measuring the precise piezoelectric coefficients of thin films is a serious obstacle in the research and development of piezoelectric thin films, a simple unimorph cantilever measurement method has been proposed to obtain precise values of the direct or converse transverse piezoelectric coefficient of thin films, and recently this method has become to be the standardized testing method. In this article, I will introduce fundamental technologies of piezoelectric thin films and related microdevices, especially focusing on the deposition of PZT thin films and evaluation methods for their transverse piezoelectric properties.

  15. Comparison of Walking and Traveling-Wave Piezoelectric Motors as Actuators in Kinesthetic Haptic Devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsson, Pontus; Nysjo, Fredrik; Carlbom, Ingrid B; Johansson, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    Piezoelectric motors offer an attractive alternative to electromagnetic actuators in portable haptic interfaces: they are compact, have a high force-to-volume ratio, and can operate with limited or no gearing. However, the choice of a piezoelectric motor type is not obvious due to differences in performance characteristics. We present our evaluation of two commercial, operationally different, piezoelectric motors acting as actuators in two kinesthetic haptic grippers, a walking quasi-static motor and a traveling wave ultrasonic motor. We evaluate each gripper's ability to display common virtual objects including springs, dampers, and rigid walls, and conclude that the walking quasi-static motor is superior at low velocities. However, for applications where high velocity is required, traveling wave ultrasonic motors are a better option.

  16. Lead-Free Piezoelectrics

    CERN Document Server

    Nahm, Sahn

    2012-01-01

    Ecological restrictions in many parts of the world are demanding the elimination of Pb from all consumer items. At this moment in the piezoelectric ceramics industry, there is no issue of more importance than the transition to lead-free materials. The goal of Lead-Free Piezoelectrics is to provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals and developments in the field of lead-free materials and products to leading researchers in the world. The text presents chapters on demonstrated applications of the lead-free materials, which will allow readers to conceptualize the present possibilities and will be useful for both students and professionals conducting research on ferroelectrics, piezoelectrics, smart materials, lead-free materials, and a variety of applications including sensors, actuators, ultrasonic transducers and energy harvesters.

  17. INFLUENCE OF PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCER TO GLASS FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE STIFFNESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Witold Rządkowski

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The main goal was to determine if transducers based on piezoelectric materials are suitable for strain calculations in thin GFRP specimens. Numerous experimental studies, both physical and numerical, performed by the authors, have shown that there is a huge influence of bonded piezoelectric transducer on the overall stiffness of the measured object. The paper presents tensile test performed on strength machine with Digital Image Correlation strain and deflection observations. Test were compared with FEM models for detailed investigation. The main conclusion is piezoelectric transducers has huge influence on local stiffness of measured object. That is critical especially when they are used as strain sensors, when presence of sensor is influencing to measured results.

  18. Energy collection via Piezoelectricity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Ch Naveen

    2015-01-01

    In the present days, wireless data transmission techniques are commonly used in electronic devices. For powering them connection needs to be made to the power supply through wires else power may be supplied from batteries. Batteries require charging, replacement and other maintenance efforts. So, some alternative methods need to be developed to keep the batteries full time charged and to avoid the need of any consumable external energy source to charge the batteries. Mechanical energy harvesting utilizes piezoelectric components where deformations produced by different means are directly converted to electrical charge via piezoelectric effect. The proposed work in this research recommends Piezoelectricity as a alternate energy source. The motive is to obtain a pollution-free energy source and to utilize and optimize the energy being wasted. Current work also illustrates the working principle of piezoelectric crystal and various sources of vibration for the crystal. (paper)

  19. Theoretical Study of the BaTiO3 Powder’s Volume Ratio’s Influence on the Output of Composite Piezoelectric Nanogenerator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xi Zhou

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The combination of the piezoelectric materials and polymer is an effective way to make the piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG possess both the polymer’s good flexibility and ferroelectric material’s high piezoelectric coefficient. The volume ratio of ferroelectric material in the composite is an important factor that determines the PENG’s output performance. In this paper, the BaTiO3/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS composite PENG was demonstrated as having an optimal volume ratio (46% at which the PENG can output its highest voltage, and this phenomenon can be ascribed to the trade-off between the composite PENG’s top electrode charge and its capacitance. These results are of practical importance for the composite PENG’s performance optimization.

  20. Morphometric Characteristics and Length-Weight Relationship of Russian Sturgeon Juveniles Fed with Different Ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raluca Cristina ANDREI(GURIENCU

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper was to analyze some morphometric characteristics and the correlation between them for Russian sturgeon juveniles (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii reared in a recirculating aquaculture system fed at different fed with different ratio: 1% body weight (BW, 1.5% BW, 2% BW and ad libitum feeding (which was around 2.8% BW.Fish, with an average body mass around 248.194 ± 1.59 g. Following biometric measurements were made for each fish, including weight (W, total length (TL, standard length (SL, fork length (FL, maximum body depth (last depth of caudal peduncle, H; preanal distance (AD, predorsal distance (PD, length of head (C, preorbital distance (PO, length of pectoral fin (LPF, interorbital distance (ID, maximum width of head (MH, width of mouth (WM, width of the head at the level of the mouth (WHM. The obtained results showed significant differences between all morphometric measurements (p<0.05 for all the experimental variants, emphasizing that in the ad libitum feeding all morphometric measurements were significantly higher than in the other experimental variants. In order to highlight more eloquent these differences, were developed some linear regressions between the morphometric measurements and significant positive correlation (p<0.05 between dependent and independent variables were found.

  1. Relaxor-PT Single Crystal Piezoelectric Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoning Jiang

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Relaxor-PbTiO3 piezoelectric single crystals have been widely used in a broad range of electromechanical devices, including piezoelectric sensors, actuators, and transducers. This paper reviews the unique properties of these single crystals for piezoelectric sensors. Design, fabrication and characterization of various relaxor-PT single crystal piezoelectric sensors and their applications are presented and compared with their piezoelectric ceramic counterparts. Newly applicable fields and future trends of relaxor-PT sensors are also suggested in this review paper.

  2. Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesting Device Combined with Damper

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hung-I Lu

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectricity is a type of material that enables mechanical energy and electrical energy to be interchangeable, which can be divided into positive piezoelectric effect and inverse piezoelectric effect. The positive piezoelectric effect is that the electric dipole moment of material generates changes when the piezoelectric material is subjected to pressure, resulting in electrical energy. Conversely, the inverse piezoelectric effect is the process of electrical energy converted into mechanical energy.

  3. Improved vibration-based energy harvesting by annular mass configuration of piezoelectric circular diaphragms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yangyiwei; Li, Yuanbo; Guo, Yaqian; Xu, Bai-Xiang; Yang, Tongqing

    2018-03-01

    Vibration-based energy harvesting using piezoelectric circular diaphragms (PCDs) with a structure featuring the central mass (C-mass) configuration has drawn much attention in recent decades. In this work, we propose a new configuration with the annular proof mass (A-mass) where an improved energy harvesting is promised. The numerical analysis was employed using the circuit-coupled piezoelectric simulation, and the experimental validation was implemented using PCDs with the even-width annular electrodes. Samples with the different mass configurations as well as structural parameters ϖ 1 and ϖ 2, which indicate the ratio between the inner boundary radius and piezoelectric ceramic radius as well as the ratio between outer boundary radius and the substrate radius, respectively, were prepared and tested. The impedance-matched output power of full-electrode PCDs was also collected, and some distinct improvement was measured on samples with the certain structural parameters. The power increases from 14.1 mW to 19.0 mW after changing the configuration from C-mass to A-mass with the same parameters (ϖ 1, ϖ 2) = (0.16, 0.9), showing the considerable improvement in energy harvesting by using A-mass configuration.

  4. Base Metal Co-Fired Multilayer Piezoelectrics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisheng Gao

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectrics have been widely used in different kinds of applications, from the automobile industry to consumer electronics. The novel multilayer piezoelectrics, which are inspired by multilayer ceramic capacitors, not only minimize the size of the functional parts, but also maximize energy efficiency. Development of multilayer piezoelectric devices is at a significant crossroads on the way to achieving low costs, high efficiency, and excellent reliability. Concerning the costs of manufacturing multilayer piezoelectrics, the trend is to replace the costly noble metal internal electrodes with base metal materials. This paper discusses the materials development of metal co-firing and the progress of integrating current base metal chemistries. There are some significant considerations in metal co-firing multilayer piezoelectrics: retaining stoichiometry with volatile Pb and alkaline elements in ceramics, the selection of appropriate sintering agents to lower the sintering temperature with minimum impact on piezoelectric performance, and designing effective binder formulation for low pO2 burnout to prevent oxidation of Ni and Cu base metal.

  5. Piezoelectric ultrasonic micromotor with 1.5 mm diameter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Shuxiang; Lim, Siak P; Lee, Kwork H; Zhang, Jingdong; Lim, Leong C; Uchino, Kenji

    2003-04-01

    A piezoelectric ultrasonic micromotor has been developed using a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic/metal composite tube stator that was 1.5 mm in diameter and 7 mm in length. The micromotor was operated in its first bending vibration mode (approximately 70 kHz), producing speeds from hundreds to over 2000 rpm in both rotational directions. The maximum torque-output was 45 microN-m, which is far superior to previous PZT thin film-based micromotors. This micromotor showed good reliability and stability for more than 300 hours of continued operation.

  6. Three-dimensional thermo-elastic analysis of a functionally graded cylindrical shell with piezoelectric layers by differential quadrature method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alashti, R. Akbari, E-mail: raalashti@nit.ac.ir [Mechanical Engineering Department, Babol University of Technology, P.O. Box 484, Shariati Avenue, Babol (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Khorsand, M. [Mechanical Engineering Department, Babol University of Technology, P.O. Box 484, Shariati Avenue, Babol (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2011-05-15

    Three-dimensional thermo-elastic analysis of a functionally graded cylindrical shell with piezoelectric layers under the effect of asymmetric thermo-electro-mechanical loads is carried out. Numerical results of displacement, stress and thermal fields are obtained using two versions of the differential quadrature methods, namely polynomial and Fourier quadrature methods. Material properties of the shell are assumed to be graded in the radial direction according to a power law but the Poisson's ratio is assumed to be constant. Shells are considered to be under the effect of the pressure loading in the form of cosine and ring pressure loads, electric potentials and temperature fields. Numerical results for various boundary conditions are obtained and the effects of the thickness of piezoelectric layers, grading index of material properties and the ratio of the thickness to the radius of the shell on these results is presented. - Highlights: > A numerical study of an FGM cylindrical shell with piezoelectric layers is made. > Governing equations are solved by two versions of differential quadrature methods. > The effect of layers thickness, grading index and geometrical ratios is presented.

  7. Three-dimensional thermo-elastic analysis of a functionally graded cylindrical shell with piezoelectric layers by differential quadrature method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alashti, R. Akbari; Khorsand, M.

    2011-01-01

    Three-dimensional thermo-elastic analysis of a functionally graded cylindrical shell with piezoelectric layers under the effect of asymmetric thermo-electro-mechanical loads is carried out. Numerical results of displacement, stress and thermal fields are obtained using two versions of the differential quadrature methods, namely polynomial and Fourier quadrature methods. Material properties of the shell are assumed to be graded in the radial direction according to a power law but the Poisson's ratio is assumed to be constant. Shells are considered to be under the effect of the pressure loading in the form of cosine and ring pressure loads, electric potentials and temperature fields. Numerical results for various boundary conditions are obtained and the effects of the thickness of piezoelectric layers, grading index of material properties and the ratio of the thickness to the radius of the shell on these results is presented. - Highlights: → A numerical study of an FGM cylindrical shell with piezoelectric layers is made. → Governing equations are solved by two versions of differential quadrature methods. → The effect of layers thickness, grading index and geometrical ratios is presented.

  8. Modeling of MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters using electromagnetic and power system theories

    KAUST Repository

    Ahmad, Mahmoud Al

    2012-07-23

    This work proposes a novel methodology for estimating the power output of piezoelectric generators. An analytical model that estimates for the first time the loss ratio and output power of piezoelectric generators based on the direct mechanical-to-electrical analogy, electromagnetic theory, and power system theory is developed. The mechanical-to-electrical analogy and power system theory allow the derivation of an equivalent input impedance expression for the network, whereas electromagnetic transmission line theory allows deduction of the equivalent electromechanical loss of the piezoelectric generator. By knowing the mechanical input power and the loss of the network, calculation of the output power of the piezoelectric device becomes a straightforward procedure. Experimental results based on published data are also presented to validate the analytical solution. In order to fully benefit from the well-established electromagnetic transmission line and electric circuit theories, further analyses on the resonant frequency, bandwidth, and sensitivity are presented. Compared to the conventional modeling methods currently being adopted in the literature, the proposed method provides significant additional information that is crucial for enhanced device operation and quick performance optimization. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  9. Piezoelectric Microstructured Fibers via Drawing of Multimaterial Preforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Xin; Qu, Hang; Skorobogatiy, Maksim

    2017-06-06

    We demonstrate planar laminated piezoelectric generators and piezoelectric microstructured fibers based on BaTiO 3 -polyvinylidene and carbon-loaded-polyethylene materials combinations. The laminated piezoelectric generators were assembled by sandwiching the electrospun BaTiO 3 -polyvinylidene mat between two carbon-loaded-polyethylene films. The piezoelectric microstructured fiber was fabricated via drawing of the multilayer fiber preform, and features a swissroll geometry that have ~10 alternating piezoelectric and conductive layers. Both piezoelectric generators have excellent mechanical durability, and could retain their piezoelectric performance after 3 day's cyclic bend-release tests. Compared to the laminated generators, the piezoelectric fibers are advantageous as they could be directly woven into large-area commercial fabrics. Potential applications of the proposed piezoelectric fibers include micro-power-generation and remote sensing in wearable, automotive and aerospace industries.

  10. Piezoelectric wave motor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yerganian, Simon Scott

    2001-07-17

    A piezoelectric motor having a stator in which piezoelectric elements are contained in slots formed in the stator transverse to the desired wave motion. When an electric field is imposed on the elements, deformation of the elements imposes a force perpendicular to the sides of the slot, deforming the stator. Appropriate frequency and phase shifting of the electric field will produce a wave in the stator and motion in a rotor. In a preferred aspect, the piezoelectric elements are configured so that deformation of the elements in direction of an imposed electric field, generally referred to as the d.sub.33 direction, is utilized to produce wave motion in the stator. In a further aspect, the elements are compressed into the slots so as to minimize tensile stresses on the elements in use.

  11. Disc piezoelectric ceramic transformers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erhart, Jirií; Půlpán, Petr; Doleček, Roman; Psota, Pavel; Lédl, Vít

    2013-08-01

    In this contribution, we present our study on disc-shaped and homogeneously poled piezoelectric ceramic transformers working in planar-extensional vibration modes. Transformers are designed with electrodes divided into wedge, axisymmetrical ring-dot, moonie, smile, or yin-yang segments. Transformation ratio, efficiency, and input and output impedances were measured for low-power signals. Transformer efficiency and transformation ratio were measured as a function of frequency and impedance load in the secondary circuit. Optimum impedance for the maximum efficiency has been found. Maximum efficiency and no-load transformation ratio can reach almost 100% and 52 for the fundamental resonance of ring-dot transformers and 98% and 67 for the second resonance of 2-segment wedge transformers. Maximum efficiency was reached at optimum impedance, which is in the range from 500 Ω to 10 kΩ, depending on the electrode pattern and size. Fundamental vibration mode and its overtones were further studied using frequency-modulated digital holographic interferometry and by the finite element method. Complementary information has been obtained by the infrared camera visualization of surface temperature profiles at higher driving power.

  12. Piezoelectric energy harvesting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howells, Christopher A

    2009-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials can be used to convert oscillatory mechanical energy into electrical energy. This technology, together with innovative mechanical coupling designs, can form the basis for harvesting energy from mechanical motion. Piezoelectric energy can be harvested to convert walking motion from the human body into electrical power. Recently four proof-of-concept Heel Strike Units were developed where each unit is essentially a small electric generator that utilizes piezoelectric elements to convert mechanical motion into electrical power in the form factor of the heel of a boot. The results of the testing and evaluation and the performance of this small electric generator are presented. The generator's conversion of mechanical motion into electrical power, the processes it goes through to produce useable power and commercial applications of the Heel Strike electric generator are discussed.

  13. Improving surface acousto-optical interaction by high aspect ratio electrodes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dühring, Maria Bayard; Laude, Vincent; Khelif, Abdelkrim

    2009-01-01

    The acousto-optical interaction of an optical wave confined inside a waveguide and a surface acoustic wave launched by an interdigital transducer (IDT) at the surface of a piezoelectric material is considered. The IDT with high aspect ratio electrodes supports several acoustic modes that are stro......The acousto-optical interaction of an optical wave confined inside a waveguide and a surface acoustic wave launched by an interdigital transducer (IDT) at the surface of a piezoelectric material is considered. The IDT with high aspect ratio electrodes supports several acoustic modes...

  14. Effect of outer hair cell piezoelectricity on high-frequency receptor potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spector, Alexander A; Brownell, William E; Popel, Aleksander S

    2003-01-01

    The low-pass voltage response of outer hair cells predicted by conventional equivalent circuit analysis would preclude the active force production at high frequencies. We have found that the band pass characteristics can be improved by introducing the piezoelectric properties of the cell wall. In contrast to the conventional analysis, the receptor potential does not tend to zero and at any frequency is greater than a limiting value. In addition, the phase shift between the transduction current and receptor potential tends to zero. The piezoelectric properties cause an additional, strain-dependent, displacement current in the cell wall. The wall strain is estimated on the basis of a model of the cell deformation in the organ of Corti. The limiting value of the receptor potential depends on the ratio of a parameter determined by the piezoelectric coefficients and the strain to the membrane capacitance. In short cells, we have found that for the low-frequency value of about 2-3 mV and the strain level of 0.1% the receptor potential can reach 0.4 mV throughout the whole frequency range. In long cells, we have found that the effect of the piezoelectric properties is much weaker. These results are consistent with major features of the cochlear amplifier.

  15. The direct piezoelectric effect in the globular protein lysozyme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stapleton, A.; Noor, M. R.; Sweeney, J.; Casey, V.; Kholkin, A. L.; Silien, C.; Gandhi, A. A.; Soulimane, T.; Tofail, S. A. M.

    2017-10-01

    Here, we present experimental evidence of the direct piezoelectric effect in the globular protein, lysozyme. Piezoelectric materials are employed in many actuating and sensing applications because they can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa. Although originally studied in inorganic materials, several biological materials including amino acids and bone, also exhibit piezoelectricity. The exact mechanisms supporting biological piezoelectricity are not known, nor is it known whether biological piezoelectricity conforms strictly to the criteria of classical piezoelectricity. The observation of piezoelectricity in protein crystals presented here links biological piezoelectricity with the classical theory of piezoelectricity. We quantify the direct piezoelectric effect in monoclinic and tetragonal aggregate films of lysozyme using conventional techniques based on the Berlincourt Method. The largest piezoelectric effect measured in a crystalline aggregate film of lysozyme was approximately 6.5 pC N-1. These findings raise fundamental questions as to the possible physiological significance of piezoelectricity in lysozyme and the potential for technical applications.

  16. Piezoelectric Ceramics Characterization

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Jordan, T

    2001-01-01

    ... the behavior of a piezoelectric material. We have attempted to cover the most common measurement methods as well as introduce parameters of interest. Excellent sources for more in-depth coverage of specific topics can be found in the bibliography. In most cases, we refer to lead zirconate titanate (PZT) to illustrate some of the concepts since it is the most widely used and studied piezoelectric ceramic to date.

  17. First-principles calculation of the effects of Li-doping on the structure and piezoelectricity of (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 lead-free ceramics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, D; Wei, L L; Chao, X L; Yang, Z P; Zhou, X Y

    2016-03-21

    The crystal structures of the lead-free piezoelectric ceramics (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 and (K0.5Na0.5)0.94Li0.06NbO3 prepared by a solid-state method were investigated using first-principles calculations. The calculated values of piezoelectricity were in good agreement with the experimental data. We found that the primary contribution to piezoelectricity in this material comes from the hybridization of the O 2p and Nb 4d orbitals, which causes a change in the Nb-O bond length and the distortion of the Nb-O octahedral structure. Analysis of the band structure and the total density of states revealed that Li-doped (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 enhances hybridization of the O 2p and Nb 4d orbitals. This hybridization enhancement further reduces the Nb-O1 bond length and enhances the distortion of the Nb-O octahedron along the [001] direction, which may be the main reason for the improvement of the piezoelectric properties. In addition, the piezoelectric coefficients are calculated here, which show the same trend as the experimental results.

  18. Touching force response of the piezoelectric Braille cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smithmaitrie, Pruittikorn; Kanjantoe, Jinda; Tandayya, Pichaya

    2008-11-01

    The objective of this research is to investigate dynamic responses of the piezoelectric Braille cell when it is subjected to both electrical signal and touching force. Physical behavior of the piezoelectric actuator inside the piezoelectric Braille cell is analyzed. The mathematical model of the piezoelectric Braille system is presented. Then, data of visually impaired people using a Braille Note is studied as design information and a reference input for calculation of the piezoelectric Braille response under the touching force. The results show dynamic responses of the piezoelectric Braille cell. The designed piezoelectric bimorph has a settling time of 0.15 second. The relationship between the Braille dot height and applied voltage is linear. The behavior of the piezoelectric Braille dot when it is touched during operation shows that the dot height is decreased as the force increases. The result provides understanding of the piezoelectric Braille cell behavior under both touching force and electrical excitation simultaneously. This is the important issue for the design and development of piezoelectric Braille cells in senses of controlling Braille dot displacement or force-feedback in the future.

  19. Piezoelectric Transformers: An Historical Review

    OpenAIRE

    Alfredo Vazquez Carazo

    2016-01-01

    Piezoelectric transformers (PTs) are solid-state devices that transform electrical energy into electrical energy by means of a mechanical vibration. These devices are manufactured using piezoelectric materials that are driven at resonance. With appropriate design and circuitry, it is possible to step up and step down the voltages between the input and output sections of the piezoelectric transformer, without making use of magnetic materials and obtaining excellent conversion efficiencies. The...

  20. Piezoelectric paint: characterization for further applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, C; Fritzen, C-P

    2012-01-01

    Piezoelectric paint is a very attractive piezoelectric composite in many fields, such as non-destructive testing, or structural health monitoring. However, there are still many obstacles which restrict the real application of it. One of the main problems is that piezoelectric paint lacks a standard fabrication procedure, thus characterization is needed before use. The work presented here explores the characterization of piezoelectric paint. It starts with fabrication of samples with certain piezoelectric powder weight percentages. The microstructures of the samples are investigated by a scanning electron microscope; the results indicate that the fabrication method can produce high quality samples. This is followed by measurements of Young’s modulus and sensitivity. The piezoelectric charge constant d 31 is then deduced from the experimental data; the results agree well with a published result, which validates the effectiveness of the fabrication and characterization method. The characterized piezoelectric paint can expand its applications into different fields and therefore becomes a more promising and competitive smart material. (paper)

  1. Determination of the piezoelectric properties of fine scale PZT fibres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nelson, L.J.; Bowen, C.R. [Bath Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Engineering and Applied Science

    2002-07-01

    Finite element (FE) modelling is used to determine the effect of fibre volume fraction, aspect ratio and polymer matrix stiffness on the d{sub 33} coefficients of 1-3 connectivity piezoelectric fibre composites. The aim is to use these observations as a means of determining the d{sub 33} of fine scale lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibres. Results from a 1-D analytical model fit well with FE predictions for low aspect ratios. Two commercially available PZT-5A fibres, produced via the viscous suspension spinning process (VSSP) and an extrusion process, were fabricated into 1-3 composites with varying fibre volume fractions. The composite d{sub 33} measurements are compared to the model predictions and used to determine the d{sub 33} coefficients of the fibers. The d{sub 33} of the VSSP fibres and extruded fibres is measured as 365 pCN{sup -1} and 235 pCN{sup -1} respectively using this method. The large difference in the piezoelectric coefficients is possibly linked to the grain size and porosity, which is examined using scanning electron microscopy. (orig.)

  2. Ferroelectric and piezoelectric thin films and their applications for integrated capacitors, piezoelectric ultrasound transducers and piezoelectric switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klee, M; Boots, H; Kumar, B; Heesch, C van; Mauczok, R; Keur, W; Wild, M de; Esch, H van; Roest, A L; Reimann, K; Leuken, L van; Wunnicke, O; Zhao, J; Schmitz, G; Mienkina, M; Mleczko, M; Tiggelman, M

    2010-01-01

    Ferroelectric and piezoelectric thin films are gaining more and more importance for the integration of high performance devices in small modules. High-K 'Integrated Discretes' devices have been developed, which are based on thin film ferroelectric capacitors integrated together with resistors and ESD protection diodes in a small Si-based chip-scale package. Making use of ferroelectric thin films with relative permittivity of 950-1600 and stacking processes of capacitors, extremely high capacitance densities of 20-520 nF/mm 2 , high breakdown voltages up to 140 V and lifetimes of more than 10 years at operating voltages of 5 V and 85 deg. C are achieved. Thin film high-density capacitors play also an important role as tunable capacitors for applications such as tuneable matching circuits for RF sections of mobile phones. The performance of thin film tuneable capacitors at frequencies between 1 MHz and 1 GHz is investigated. Finally thin film piezoelectric ultrasound transducers, processed in Si- related processes, are attractive for medical imaging, since they enable large bandwidth (>100%), high frequency operation and have the potential to integrate electronics. With these piezoelectric thin film ultrasound transducers real time ultrasound images have been realized. Finally, piezoelectric thin films are used to manufacture galvanic MEMS switches. A model for the quasi-static mechanical behaviour is presented and compared with measurements.

  3. Structure-Property Study of Piezoelectricity in Polyimides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ounaies, Zoubeida; Park, Cheol; Harrison, Joycelyn S.; Smith, Joseph G.; Hinkley, Jeffrey

    1999-01-01

    High performance piezoelectric polymers are of interest to NASA as they may be useful for a variety of sensor applications. Over the past few years research on piezoelectric polymers has led to the development of promising high temperature piezoelectric responses in some novel polyimides. In this study, a series of polyimides have been studied with systematic variations in the diamine monomers that comprise the polyimide while holding the dianhydride constant. The effect of structural changes, including variations in the nature and concentration of dipolar groups, on the remanent polarization and piezoelectric coefficient is examined. Fundamental structure-piezoelectric property insight will enable the molecular design of polymers possessing distinct improvements over state-of-the-art piezoelectric polymers including enhanced polarization, polarization stability at elevated temperatures, and improved processability.

  4. Performance and emission characteristics of LPG powered four stroke SI engine under variable stroke length and compression ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ozcan, Hakan; Yamin, Jehad A.A.

    2008-01-01

    A computer simulation of a variable stroke length, LPG fuelled, four stroke, single cylinder, water cooled spark ignition engine was done. The engine capacity was varied by varying the stroke length of the engine, which also changed its compression ratio. The simulation model developed was verified with experimental results from the literature for both constant and variable stroke engines. The performance of the engine was simulated at each stroke length/compression ratio combination. The simulation results clearly indicate the advantages and utility of variable stroke engines in fuel economy and power issues. Using the variable stroke technique has significantly improved the engine's performance and emission characteristics within the range studied. The brake torque and power have registered an increase of about 7-54% at low speed and 7-57% at high speed relative to the original engine design and for all stroke lengths and engine speeds studied. The brake specific fuel consumption has registered variations from a reduction of about 6% to an increase of about 3% at low speed and from a reduction of about 6% to an increase of about 8% at high speed relative to the original engine design and for all stroke lengths and engine speeds studied. On the other hand, an increase of pollutants of about 0.65-2% occurred at low speed. Larger stroke lengths resulted in a reduction of the pollutants level of about 1.5% at higher speeds. At lower stroke lengths, on the other hand, an increase of about 2% occurred. Larger stroke lengths resulted in increased exhaust temperature and, hence, make the exhaust valve work under high temperature

  5. Optimizing performance of silicon-based p-n junction photodetectors by the piezo-phototronic effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhaona; Yu, Ruomeng; Wen, Xiaonan; Liu, Ying; Pan, Caofeng; Wu, Wenzhuo; Wang, Zhong Lin

    2014-12-23

    Silicon-based p-n junction photodetectors (PDs) play an essential role in optoelectronic applications for photosensing due to their outstanding compatibility with well-developed integrated circuit technology. The piezo-phototronic effect, a three-way coupling effect among semiconductor properties, piezoelectric polarizations, and photon excitation, has been demonstrated as an effective approach to tune/modulate the generation, separation, and recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs during optoelectronic processes in piezoelectric-semiconductor materials. Here, we utilize the strain-induced piezo-polarization charges in a piezoelectric n-ZnO layer to modulate the optoelectronic process initiated in a p-Si layer and thus optimize the performances of p-Si/ZnO NWs hybridized photodetectors for visible sensing via tuning the transport property of charge carriers across the Si/ZnO heterojunction interface. The maximum photoresponsivity R of 7.1 A/W and fastest rising time of 101 ms were obtained from these PDs when applying an external compressive strain of -0.10‰ on the ZnO NWs, corresponding to relative enhancement of 177% in R and shortening to 87% in response time, respectively. These results indicate a promising method to enhance/optimize the performances of non-piezoelectric semiconductor material (e.g., Si) based optoelectronic devices by the piezo-phototronic effect.

  6. Modeling and Tuning for Vibration Energy Harvesting using a Piezoelectric Bimorph

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Yongqing

    the modeling of piezoelectric generator, different methods are employed to modeling the coupled dynamics of a piezoelectric bimorph on a vibrating beam as well as a simple piezoelectric bimorph cantilever. The modeling of piezoelectric bimorph as an alternative current (AC) source with internal capacitance and resistance is used to analyze a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever and to calculate the optimal external load resistance for maximal power output. The couple dynamics method based on Hamilton's Principle is applied in the modeling of the piezoelectric bimorph on a vibrating beam. Impulse response experiment shows this method has a better estimation of the experimental results than the curvature model. The coupled dynamics model is also applied to piezoelectric bimorph cantilever and the external load resistance is also determined by this to maximize the power output. The finite element equations for the piezoelectric materials in the element domain are theoretically derived. The procedure of modeling a piezoelectric on a vibrating beam is demonstrated base on the package of ANSYS. The frequency response of ZnO nanowires with different dimensions is derived analytically for ambient mediums with different damping ratios. With help from nano research lab of Dr. Yong Zhu and the student Feng Xu, an experiment is conducted which indentifies the first modal frequency of ZnO nanowires with different dimensions. The experimental modal frequencies are compared with the numerical results. The influence of the thickness of deposit on the modal frequency is also investigated by finite element modeling.

  7. Design and Experimental Study of an L Shape Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    In-Ho Kim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric energy harvesters of cantilevered beam type are studied in various fields due to simplicity. In general, these systems obtain electrical energy from mechanical strain by bending of cantilevered beam. However, conventional systems have disadvantages that they have low efficiency in frequency regions other than resonance frequency. To overcome the limitations, various energy harvesters to apply performance enhancement strategies are proposed and investigated. In this paper, a frequency-changeable L shape energy harvester which is form connected cantilever beam and rigid arm is proposed and investigated. The conventional piezoelectric energy harvester exhibits the principal frequency in the simple bending mode whereas the proposed system features the twisting mode resulting in a higher output voltage than the conventional system. The proposed energy harvester is simplified to a two-degree-of-freedom model and its dynamics are described. How the length of a rigid bar affects its natural frequencies is also studied. To evaluate the performance of the system, experiments by using a vertical shaker and numerical simulation are carried out. As a result, it is shown that the natural frequency for a twisting mode decreases as the arm length increased, and the higher output voltage is generated comparing with those of the conventional energy harvester.

  8. Piezoelectric energy harvesting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Howells, Christopher A [Power Technology Branch, US Army, CERDEC, C2D, Ft. Belvoir, VA 22060-5816 (United States)

    2009-07-15

    Piezoelectric materials can be used to convert oscillatory mechanical energy into electrical energy. This technology, together with innovative mechanical coupling designs, can form the basis for harvesting energy from mechanical motion. Piezoelectric energy can be harvested to convert walking motion from the human body into electrical power. Recently four proof-of-concept Heel Strike Units were developed where each unit is essentially a small electric generator that utilizes piezoelectric elements to convert mechanical motion into electrical power in the form factor of the heel of a boot. The results of the testing and evaluation and the performance of this small electric generator are presented. The generator's conversion of mechanical motion into electrical power, the processes it goes through to produce useable power and commercial applications of the Heel Strike electric generator are discussed. (author)

  9. High-Fidelity Piezoelectric Audio Device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodward, Stanley E.; Fox, Robert L.; Bryant, Robert G.

    2003-01-01

    ModalMax is a very innovative means of harnessing the vibration of a piezoelectric actuator to produce an energy efficient low-profile device with high-bandwidth high-fidelity audio response. The piezoelectric audio device outperforms many commercially available speakers made using speaker cones. The piezoelectric device weighs substantially less (4 g) than the speaker cones which use magnets (10 g). ModalMax devices have extreme fabrication simplicity. The entire audio device is fabricated by lamination. The simplicity of the design lends itself to lower cost. The piezoelectric audio device can be used without its acoustic chambers and thereby resulting in a very low thickness of 0.023 in. (0.58 mm). The piezoelectric audio device can be completely encapsulated, which makes it very attractive for use in wet environments. Encapsulation does not significantly alter the audio response. Its small size (see Figure 1) is applicable to many consumer electronic products, such as pagers, portable radios, headphones, laptop computers, computer monitors, toys, and electronic games. The audio device can also be used in automobile or aircraft sound systems.

  10. Design of a Piezoelectric-Driven Tilt Mirror for a Fast Laser Scanner

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jung-Ho; Lee, Hu-Seung; Lee, Jae-Hoon; Yun, So-Nam; Ham, Young-Bog; Yun, Dong-Won

    2012-09-01

    Recently, laser scanners have been used for laser processing such as cutting, welding, and grooving, especially in the automotive industry. The laser scanners need a high-speed driving to minimize cracks caused by thermal shock of brittle materials. Therefore, a novel laser processing system that is composed of a laser source and a piezoelectric-driven tilt mirror to control the reflection angle of the laser beam, and a stage equipped with the tilt mirror has been investigated. In this study, a piezoelectric-driven tilt mirror is designed and analyzed for scanning performance to achieve a beam spot of 30 µm, a pattern width of 1 mm, an overlap ratio of 70% of the circle area, and a scanning speed of 1 m/s. Then, structural analysis of the tilt mirror with three piezoelectric actuators is performed to determine the maximum reflection angle and resonance frequency. Finally, a prototype tilt mirror is fabricated and its basic characteristics are experimentally investigated and discussed.

  11. The dynamic modeling and design improvement of a piezoelectric exciter of a touch screen device for efficient tactile feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Young-Min; Kim, Kwang-Joon

    2011-01-01

    Piezoelectric exciters have been receiving greater attention recently as a vibration source for tactile feedback in devices with touch screens, such as a mobile phones, in place of DC motors due to lower energy consumption and smaller volume. Their insufficient excitation level, however, still remains a problem. In this paper, dynamic modeling and design improvement of a piezoelectric exciter are presented. The excitation performance is defined as the acceleration response at the center of a touch screen per electric power and to be maximized around 250 Hz where the index finger is most sensitive. The piezoelectric exciter consists of a z-shaped metal beam, a piezoelectric layer on the long horizontal segment and an adhesive layer between the short horizontal segment and the touch screen. Assuming that the piezoelectric exciter is attached onto a rigid ground due to its low mechanical impedance compared with that of the touch screen, the piezoelectric exciter is dynamically modeled by applying Hamilton's principle, where the adhesive layer is treated as a distributed stiffness. The touch screen is modeled approximately as a simply supported beam such that it may have the same fundamental natural frequency and bending stiffness as the screen based on measurements. The performance improvement is focused on the change of five geometric parameters of the piezoelectric exciter: length of the long horizontal segment, thickness of the piezoelectric layer, thickness of the elastic metal layer, width of the beams and tip mass. The procedure to improve the performance of the piezoelectric exciter via dynamic modeling is presented together with experimental results on a prototype. Effectiveness of the design modification and limitations in practice are further discussed as well

  12. Theoretical modeling and equivalent electric circuit of a bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sammoura, Firas; Kim, Sang-Gook

    2012-05-01

    An electric circuit model for a circular bimorph piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) was developed for the first time. The model was made up of an electric mesh, which was coupled to a mechanical mesh via a transformer element. The bimorph PMUT consisted of two piezoelectric layers of the same material, having equal thicknesses, and sandwiched between three thin electrodes. The piezoelectric layers, having the same poling axis, were biased with electric potentials of the same magnitude but opposite polarity. The strain mismatches between the two layers created by the converse piezoelectric effect caused the membrane to vibrate and, hence, transmit a pressure wave. Upon receiving the echo of the acoustic wave, the membrane deformation led to the generation of electric charges as a result of the direct piezoelectric phenomenon. The membrane angular velocity and electric current were related to the applied electric field, the impinging acoustic pressure, and the moment at the edge of the membrane using two canonical equations. The transduction coefficients from the electrical to the mechanical domain and vice-versa were shown to be bilateral and the system was shown to be reversible. The circuit parameters of the derived model were extracted, including the transformer ratio, the clamped electric impedance, the spring-softening impedance, and the open-circuit mechanical impedance. The theoretical model was fully examined by generating the electrical input impedance and average plate displacement curves versus frequency under both air and water loading conditions. A PMUT composed of piezoelectric material with a lossy dielectric was also investigated and the maximum possible electroacoustical conversion efficiency was calculated.

  13. A Capacitance-Based Methodology for the Estimation of Piezoelectric Coefficients of Poled Piezoelectric Materials

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud; Alshareef, Husam N.

    2010-01-01

    A methodology is proposed to estimate the piezoelectric coefficients of bulk piezoelectric materials using simple capacitance measurements. The extracted values of d33 and d31 from the capacitance measurements were 506 pC/N and 247 p

  14. Nonlinear kinematics for piezoelectricity in ALEGRA-EMMA.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitchell, John Anthony; Fuller, Timothy Jesse

    2013-09-01

    This report develops and documents nonlinear kinematic relations needed to implement piezoelectric constitutive models in ALEGRA-EMMA [5], where calculations involving large displacements and rotations are routine. Kinematic relationships are established using Gausss law and Faradays law; this presentation on kinematics goes beyond piezoelectric materials and is applicable to all dielectric materials. The report then turns to practical details of implementing piezoelectric models in an application code where material principal axes are rarely aligned with user defined problem coordinate axes. This portion of the report is somewhat pedagogical but is necessary in order to establish documentation for the piezoelectric implementation in ALEGRA-EMMA. This involves transforming elastic, piezoelectric, and permittivity moduli from material principal axes to problem coordinate axes. The report concludes with an overview of the piezoelectric implementation in ALEGRA-EMMA and small verification examples.

  15. Piezoelectricity in polymers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kepler, R.G.; Anderson, R.A.

    1980-01-01

    Piezoelectricity and related properties of polymers are reviewed. After presenting a historical overview of the field, the mathematical basis of piezo- and pyroelectricity is summarized. We show how the experimentally measured quantities are related to the changes in polarization and point out the serious inequlity between direct and converse piezoelectric coefficients in polymers. Theoretical models of the various origins of piezo- and pyroelectricity, which include piezoelectricity due to inhomogeneous material properties and strains, are reviewed. Relaxational effects are also considered. Experimental techniques are examined and the results for different materials are presented. Because of the considerable work in recent years polyimylidene fluoride, this polymer receives the majority of the attention. The numerous applications of piezo-and pyroelectric polymers are mentioned. This article concludes with a discussion of the possible role of piezo- and pyroelectricity in biological system

  16. Piezoelectric Transformer Characterization and Application of Electronic Ballast

    OpenAIRE

    Lin, Ray-Lee

    2001-01-01

    The characterization and modeling of piezoelectric transformers are studied and developed for use in electronic ballasts. By replacing conventional L-C resonant tanks with piezoelectric transformers, inductor-less piezoelectric transformer electronic ballasts have been developed for use in fluorescent lamps. The piezoelectric transformer is a combination of piezoelectric actuators as the primary side and piezoelectric transducers as the secondary side, both of which work in longitudinal o...

  17. Orthotropic Piezoelectricity in 2D Nanocellulose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García, Y; Ruiz-Blanco, Yasser B; Marrero-Ponce, Yovani; Sotomayor-Torres, C M

    2016-10-06

    The control of electromechanical responses within bonding regions is essential to face frontier challenges in nanotechnologies, such as molecular electronics and biotechnology. Here, we present Iβ-nanocellulose as a potentially new orthotropic 2D piezoelectric crystal. The predicted in-layer piezoelectricity is originated on a sui-generis hydrogen bonds pattern. Upon this fact and by using a combination of ab-initio and ad-hoc models, we introduce a description of electrical profiles along chemical bonds. Such developments lead to obtain a rationale for modelling the extended piezoelectric effect originated within bond scales. The order of magnitude estimated for the 2D Iβ-nanocellulose piezoelectric response, ~pm V -1 , ranks this material at the level of currently used piezoelectric energy generators and new artificial 2D designs. Such finding would be crucial for developing alternative materials to drive emerging nanotechnologies.

  18. Orthotropic Piezoelectricity in 2D Nanocellulose

    Science.gov (United States)

    García, Y.; Ruiz-Blanco, Yasser B.; Marrero-Ponce, Yovani; Sotomayor-Torres, C. M.

    2016-10-01

    The control of electromechanical responses within bonding regions is essential to face frontier challenges in nanotechnologies, such as molecular electronics and biotechnology. Here, we present Iβ-nanocellulose as a potentially new orthotropic 2D piezoelectric crystal. The predicted in-layer piezoelectricity is originated on a sui-generis hydrogen bonds pattern. Upon this fact and by using a combination of ab-initio and ad-hoc models, we introduce a description of electrical profiles along chemical bonds. Such developments lead to obtain a rationale for modelling the extended piezoelectric effect originated within bond scales. The order of magnitude estimated for the 2D Iβ-nanocellulose piezoelectric response, ~pm V-1, ranks this material at the level of currently used piezoelectric energy generators and new artificial 2D designs. Such finding would be crucial for developing alternative materials to drive emerging nanotechnologies.

  19. Development of a piezoelectric bone substitute material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Bader, Yousef A.

    2000-01-01

    The thesis deals with the preparation and testing of ceramic compositions to be used as bone substitute. The proposed composition consisted of calcium enriched calcium phosphate, kaolin and barium titanate in different ratios. The homogeneous powder mixture was dry pressed at different pressures and fired at temperatures up to 1350 degC for different soaking times. The physical properties of the fired compacts that were tested are bulk density and porosity. These were determined as function of pressing pressure, firing temperature and soaking time for different compositions. The mechanical properties investigated were the ultimate compressive strength and Young's modulus, which were determined for different compositions and forming pressures. The electrical properties investigated were D.C. characteristics (resistivity) and A.C. characteristics (A.C. resistivity, dielectric constant, dielectric loss and loss tangent). The piezoelectric behaviour of the fired compacts was investigated and the piezoelectric coefficient (d) in the axial direction was obtained as a function of the percent barium titanate added. The development of piezoelectricity when barium titanate is added was interpreted, using XRD, as due to the formation of barium titanate silicate. Compositions determined as having properties comparable to those of natural bone, were tested for in vitro solubility in pure water and saline solution. The results obtained showed that the selected composition (containing 15% kaolin, 10% barium titanate, pressed at 35 MPa and fired at 1350 degC for two hours) has properties comparable to those of dry bone and a reasonable in vitro solubility. (author)

  20. Design and characterization of a carbon-nanotube-reinforced adhesive coating for piezoelectric ceramic discs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lanzara, G; Chang, F-K

    2009-01-01

    The silver paste electrode of piezoelectric (PZT) ceramic discs has been shown to produce a weak interface bond between a bare PZT and its paste coating under a peeling force. In this work, an investigation was conducted to reinforce the bond with a high density array of oriented carbon nanotube nano-electrodes (CNTs-NEA), between a bare PZT ceramic and a metal substrate. The ensuing design and fabrication of a carbon-nanotube-coated piezoelectric disc (CPZT) is presented along with a study of the bondline integrity of a CPZT mounted on a hosting structure. The CPZT has its electrode silver paste coating replaced with a high density array of CNTs-NEA. Mechanical tests were performed to characterize the shear strength of the bondline between CPZT discs and the substrate. The test results were compared with shear strengths of the bondlines made of pure non-conductive adhesive and adhesive with randomly mixed CNTs. The comparison showed the oriented CNT coating on PZTs could significantly enhance the interfacial shear strength. Through the microscopic examination, it was evident that the ratio between the CNT length (Lc) and the bond thickness (H) significantly influenced the bond strength of CPZT discs. Three major interface microstructure types and their corresponding failure modes for specific Lc/H values were identified. The study also showed that failure did not occur along the interface between the PZT ceramic element and the CNT coating

  1. Piezoelectric transducer array microspeaker

    KAUST Repository

    Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo

    2016-12-19

    In this paper we present the fabrication and characterization of a piezoelectric micro-speaker. The speaker is an array of micro-machined piezoelectric membranes, fabricated on silicon wafer using advanced micro-machining techniques. Each array contains 2n piezoelectric transducer membranes, where “n” is the bit number. Every element of the array has a circular shape structure. The membrane is made out four layers: 300nm of platinum for the bottom electrode, 250nm or lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a top electrode of 300nm and a structural layer of 50

  2. The giant piezoelectric effect: electric field induced monoclinic phase or piezoelectric distortion of the rhombohedral parent?

    CERN Document Server

    Kisi, E H; Forrester, J S; Howard, C J

    2003-01-01

    Lead zinc niobate-lead titanate (PZN-PT) single crystals show very large piezoelectric strains for electric fields applied along the unit cell edges e.g. [001] sub R. It has been widely reported that this effect is caused by an electric field induced phase transition from rhombohedral (R3m) to monoclinic (Cm or Pm) symmetry in an essentially continuous manner. Group theoretical analysis using the computer program ISOTROPY indicates phase transitions between R3m and Cm (or Pm) must be discontinuous under Landau theory. An analysis of the symmetry of a strained unit cell in R3m and a simple expansion of the piezoelectric strain equation indicate that the piezoelectric distortion due to an electric field along a cell edge in rhombohedral perovskite-based ferroelectrics is intrinsically monoclinic (Cm), even for infinitesimal electric fields. PZN-PT crystals have up to nine times the elastic compliance of other piezoelectric perovskites and it might be expected that the piezoelectric strains are also very large. ...

  3. Piezoelectric materials for tissue regeneration: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajabi, Amir Hossein; Jaffe, Michael; Arinzeh, Treena Livingston

    2015-09-01

    The discovery of piezoelectricity, endogenous electric fields and transmembrane potentials in biological tissues raised the question whether or not electric fields play an important role in cell function. It has kindled research and the development of technologies in emulating biological electricity for tissue regeneration. Promising effects of electrical stimulation on cell growth and differentiation and tissue growth has led to interest in using piezoelectric scaffolds for tissue repair. Piezoelectric materials can generate electrical activity when deformed. Hence, an external source to apply electrical stimulation or implantation of electrodes is not needed. Various piezoelectric materials have been employed for different tissue repair applications, particularly in bone repair, where charges induced by mechanical stress can enhance bone formation; and in neural tissue engineering, in which electric pulses can stimulate neurite directional outgrowth to fill gaps in nervous tissue injuries. In this review, a summary of piezoelectricity in different biological tissues, mechanisms through which electrical stimulation may affect cellular response, and recent advances in the fabrication and application of piezoelectric scaffolds will be discussed. The discovery of piezoelectricity, endogenous electric fields and transmembrane potentials in biological tissues has kindled research and the development of technologies using electrical stimulation for tissue regeneration. Piezoelectric materials generate electrical activity in response to deformations and allow for the delivery of an electrical stimulus without the need for an external power source. As a scaffold for tissue engineering, growing interest exists due to its potential of providing electrical stimulation to cells to promote tissue formation. In this review, we cover the discovery of piezoelectricity in biological tissues, its connection to streaming potentials, biological response to electrical stimulation and

  4. LiNbO3 :Pr3+ : A Multipiezo Material with Simultaneous Piezoelectricity and Sensitive Piezoluminescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tu, Dong; Xu, Chao-Nan; Yoshida, Akihito; Fujihala, Masayoshi; Hirotsu, Jou; Zheng, Xu-Guang

    2017-06-01

    Red-emitting piezoluminescence (elasticoluminescence) is achieved by doping rare earth Pr 3+ into the well-known piezoelectric matrix, LiNbO 3 . By precisely tuning the Li/Nb ratio in nonstoichiometric Li x NbO 3 :Pr 3+ , a material that exhibits an unusually high piezoluminescence intensity, which far exceeds that of any well-known piezoelectric material, is produced. Li x NbO 3 :Pr 3+ shows excellent strain sensitivity at the lowest strain level, with no threshold for stress sensing. These multipiezo properties of sensitive piezoluminescence in a piezoelectric matrix are ideal for microstress sensing, damage diagnosis, electro-mechano-optical energy conversion, and multifunctional control in optoelectronics. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. BNT-BT{sub 0.08} wires derived from sol-gel precursor and their piezoelectric behavior

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cernea, M., E-mail: mcernea@infim.ro; Pintilie, L.; Trupina, L. [National Institute of Materials Physics (Romania); Vasile, B. S. [University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest (Romania); Chirila, C.; Pasuk, I. [National Institute of Materials Physics (Romania)

    2013-05-15

    Lead-free piezoelectric (Bi{sub 0.5}Na{sub 0.5}){sub 0.92}Ba{sub 0.08}TiO{sub 3}, (abbreviated as BNT-BT{sub 0.08}) wires were prepared using its corresponding precursor sol and, a polycarbonate template membrane. The polycarbonate membrane used has a thickness of 30 {mu}m and pore diameter of 300 nm. Uniform surface morphology of the wires with average diameter of 145 nm and a length of about 20 {mu}m was obtained when the concentration of the sol was 0.3 M. The ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of an individual BNT-BT{sub 0.08} wire were investigated using the PFM technique. The hysteresis loops between the PFM phase and DC bias and, the characteristic butterfly loops of the PFM amplitude versus DC bias, indicated a ferroelectric and piezoelectric behavior of as-obtained BNT-BT{sub 0.08} wires.

  6. Piezoelectric energy harvesting through shear mode operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malakooti, Mohammad H; Sodano, Henry A

    2015-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials are excellent candidates for use in energy harvesting applications due to their high electromechanical coupling properties that enable them to convert input mechanical energy into useful electric power. The electromechanical coupling coefficient of the piezoelectric material is one of the most significant parameters affecting energy conversion and is dependent on the piezoelectric mode of operation. In most piezoceramics, the d 15 piezoelectric shear coefficient is the highest coefficient compared to the commonly used axial and transverse modes that utilize the d 33 and the d 31 piezoelectric strain coefficients. However, complicated electroding methods and challenges in evaluating the performance of energy harvesting devices operating in the shear mode have slowed research in this area. The shear deformation of a piezoelectric layer can be induced in a vibrating sandwich beam with a piezoelectric core. Here, a model based on Timoshenko beam theory is developed to predict the electric power output from a cantilever piezoelectric sandwich beam under base excitations. It is shown that the energy harvester operating in the shear mode is able to generate ∼50% more power compared to the transverse mode for a numerical case study. Reduced models of both shear and transverse energy harvesters are obtained to determine the optimal load resistance in the system and perform an efficiency comparison between two models with fixed and adaptive resistances. (paper)

  7. Multistage Force Amplification of Piezoelectric Stacks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tian-Bing (Inventor); Siochi, Emilie J. (Inventor); Zuo, Lei (Inventor); Jiang, Xiaoning (Inventor); Kang, Jin Ho (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    Embodiments of the disclosure include an apparatus and methods for using a piezoelectric device, that includes an outer flextensional casing, a first cell and a last cell serially coupled to each other and coupled to the outer flextensional casing such that each cell having a flextensional cell structure and each cell receives an input force and provides an output force that is amplified based on the input force. The apparatus further includes a piezoelectric stack coupled to each cell such that the piezoelectric stack of each cell provides piezoelectric energy based on the output force for each cell. Further, the last cell receives an input force that is the output force from the first cell and the last cell provides an output apparatus force In addition, the piezoelectric energy harvested is based on the output apparatus force. Moreover, the apparatus provides displacement based on the output apparatus force.

  8. Laminated piezoelectric transformer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vazquez Carazo, Alfredo (Inventor)

    2006-01-01

    A laminated piezoelectric transformer is provided using the longitudinal vibration modes for step-up voltage conversion applications. The input portions are polarized to deform in a longitudinal plane and are bonded to an output portion. The deformation of the input portions is mechanically coupled to the output portion, which deforms in the same longitudinal direction relative to the input portion. The output portion is polarized in the thickness direction relative its electrodes, and piezoelectrically generates a stepped-up output voltage.

  9. A database to enable discovery and design of piezoelectric materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jong, Maarten; Chen, Wei; Geerlings, Henry; Asta, Mark; Persson, Kristin Aslaug

    2015-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials are used in numerous applications requiring a coupling between electrical fields and mechanical strain. Despite the technological importance of this class of materials, for only a small fraction of all inorganic compounds which display compatible crystallographic symmetry, has piezoelectricity been characterized experimentally or computationally. In this work we employ first-principles calculations based on density functional perturbation theory to compute the piezoelectric tensors for nearly a thousand compounds, thereby increasing the available data for this property by more than an order of magnitude. The results are compared to select experimental data to establish the accuracy of the calculated properties. The details of the calculations are also presented, along with a description of the format of the database developed to make these computational results publicly available. In addition, the ways in which the database can be accessed and applied in materials development efforts are described. PMID:26451252

  10. A database to enable discovery and design of piezoelectric materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jong, Maarten; Chen, Wei; Geerlings, Henry; Asta, Mark; Persson, Kristin Aslaug

    2015-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials are used in numerous applications requiring a coupling between electrical fields and mechanical strain. Despite the technological importance of this class of materials, for only a small fraction of all inorganic compounds which display compatible crystallographic symmetry, has piezoelectricity been characterized experimentally or computationally. In this work we employ first-principles calculations based on density functional perturbation theory to compute the piezoelectric tensors for nearly a thousand compounds, thereby increasing the available data for this property by more than an order of magnitude. The results are compared to select experimental data to establish the accuracy of the calculated properties. The details of the calculations are also presented, along with a description of the format of the database developed to make these computational results publicly available. In addition, the ways in which the database can be accessed and applied in materials development efforts are described.

  11. New design for inertial piezoelectric motors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Lige; Ge, Weifeng; Meng, Wenjie; Hou, Yubin; Zhang, Jing; Lu, Qingyou

    2018-03-01

    We have designed, implemented, and tested a novel inertial piezoelectric motor (IPM) that is the first IPM to have controllable total friction force, which means that it sticks with large total friction forces and slips with severely reduced total friction forces. This allows the IPM to work with greater robustness and produce a larger output force at a lower threshold voltage while also providing higher rigidity. This is a new IPM design that means that the total friction force can be dramatically reduced or even canceled where necessary by pushing the clamping points at the ends of a piezoelectric tube that contains the sliding shaft inside it in the opposite directions during piezoelectric deformation. Therefore, when the shaft is propelled forward by another exterior piezoelectric tube, the inner piezoelectric tube can deform to reduce the total friction force acting on the shaft instantly and cause more effective stepping movement of the shaft. While our new IPM requires the addition of another piezoelectric tube, which leads to an increase in volume of 120% when compared with traditional IPMs, the average step size has increased by more than 400% and the threshold voltage has decreased by more than 50 V. The improvement in performance is far more significant than the increase in volume. This enhanced performance will allow the proposed IPM to work under large load conditions where a simple and powerful piezoelectric motor is needed.

  12. Characterization of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting MEMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    of previously fabricated MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters and use the results to optimize an advanced finite element model to be used in...possibilities of using solar power and the piezoelectric effect to harvest energy [12]. The design goal was to develop an energy harvester with a resonant... The piezoelectric properties of AlN are also relatively constant over a wide range of temperatures [7]. AlN was further characterized

  13. Recent Advances in the Control of Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziqiang Chi

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The micro/nano positioning field has made great progress towards enabling the advance of micro/nano technology. Micro/nano positioning stages actuated by piezoelectric actuators are the key devices in micro/nano manipulation. The control of piezoelectric actuators has emerged as a hot topic in recent years. Piezoelectric materials have inherent hysteresis and creep nonlinearity, which can reduce the accuracy of the manipulation, even causing the instability of the whole system. Remarkable efforts have been made to compensate for the nonlinearity of piezoelectric actuation through the mathematical modelling and control approaches. This paper provides a review of recent advances on the control of piezoelectric actuators. After a brief introduction of basic components of typical piezoelectric micro/nano positioning platforms, the working principle and modelling of piezoelectric actuators are outlined in this paper. This is followed with the major control method and recent progress is presented in detail. Finally, some open issues and future work on the control of piezoelectric actuators are extensively discussed.

  14. Nano-Scale Positioning Design with Piezoelectric Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yung Yue Chen

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric materials naturally possess high potential to deliver nano-scale positioning resolution; hence, they are adopted in a variety of engineering applications widely. Unfortunately, unacceptable positioning errors always appear because of the natural hysteresis effect of the piezoelectric materials. This natural property must be mitigated in practical applications. For solving this drawback, a nonlinear positioning design is proposed in this article. This nonlinear positioning design of piezoelectric materials is realized by the following four steps: 1. The famous Bouc–Wen model is utilized to present the input and output behaviors of piezoelectric materials; 2. System parameters of the Bouc–Wen model that describe the characteristics of piezoelectric materials are simultaneously identified with the particle swam optimization method; 3. Stability verification for the identified Bouc–Wen model; 4. A nonlinear feedback linearization control design is derived for the nano-scale positioning design of the piezoelectric material, mathematically. One important contribution of this investigation is that the positioning error between the output displacement of the controlled piezoelectric materials and the desired trajectory in nano-scale level can be proven to converge to zero asymptotically, under the effect of the hysteresis.

  15. Control Application of Piezoelectric Materials to Aeroelastic Self-Excited Vibrations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Amin Rashidifar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A method for application of piezoelectric materials to aeroelasticity of turbomachinery blades is presented. The governing differential equations of an overhung beam are established. The induced voltage in attached piezoelectric sensors due to the strain of the beam is calculated. In aeroelastic self-excited vibrations, the aerodynamic generalized force of a specified mode can be described as a linear function of the generalized coordinate and its derivatives. This simplifies the closed loop system designed for vibration control of the corresponding structure. On the other hand, there is an industrial interest in measurement of displacement, velocity, acceleration, or a contribution of them for machinery condition monitoring. Considering this criterion in quadratic optimal control systems, a special style of performance index is configured. Utilizing the current relations in an aeroelastic case with proper attachment of piezoelectric elements can provide higher margin of instability and lead to lower vibration magnitude.

  16. Piezoelectric power converter with bi-directional power transfer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2014-01-01

    The present invention relates to a bi-directional piezoelectric power converter com¬ prising a piezoelectric transformer. The piezoelectric transformer comprises an input electrode electrically coupled to a primary section of the piezoelectric transformer and an output electrode electrically...... coupled to an output section of the piezoelectric transformer to provide a transformer output signal. A bi-directional switching circuit is coupled between the output electrode and a DC or AC output voltage of the power converter. Forward and reverse current conducting periods of the bi......, a reverse current is conducted through the bi-directional switching circuit from the DC or AC output voltage to the output electrode to discharge the DC or AC output voltage and return power to the primary section of the piezoelectric transformer....

  17. Design and analysis of a piezoelectric material based touch screen with additional pressure and its acceleration measurement functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, Xiang-Cheng; Liu, Jia-Yi; Gao, Ren-Long; Chang, Jie; Li, Long-Tu

    2013-01-01

    Touch screens are becoming more and more prevalent in everyday environments due to their convenience and humanized operation. In this paper, a piezoelectric material based touch screen is developed and investigated. Piezoelectric ceramics arrayed under the touch panel at the edges or corners are used as tactile sensors to measure the touch positioning point similarly to conventional touch screens. However, additional touch pressure and its acceleration performance can also be obtained to obtain a higher-level human–machine interface. The piezoelectric ceramics can also be added to a traditional touch screen structure, or they can be used independently to construct a novel touch screen with a high light transmittance approach to a transparent glass. The piezoelectric ceramics were processed from PZT piezoelectric ceramic powder into a round or rectangular shape. According to the varied touch position and physical press strength of a finger, or even a gloved hand or fingernail, the piezoelectric tactile sensors will have different output voltage responses. By calculating the ratio of different piezoelectric tactile sensors’ responses and summing up all piezoelectric tactile sensors’ output voltages, the touch point position, touch pressure and touch force acceleration can be detected. A prototype of such a touch screen is manufactured and its position accuracy, touch pressure and response speed are measured in detail. The experimental results show that the prototype has many advantages such as high light transmittance, low energy cost and high durability. (paper)

  18. Comparison of the frequency response characteristics of catheter-mounted piezoelectric and micromanometric phonotransducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, J C; Layton, S A; Rubal, B J

    1989-05-01

    This study compares the frequency response characteristics of catheter-mounted piezoelectric sound transducers with micromanometric transducers. The tip of a 8F catheter with two piezoelectric transducers and two micromanometers was inserted into a water-filled chamber that had a speaker fixed at one end. The speaker was driven by a power amplifier and sine wave generator. The outputs of the transducers were connected to a low-level amplifier. The piezoelectric transducer behaved as a tunable high-pass filter that could be modified by altering the input impedance of the low level amplifier; the frequency response characteristics were examined at five input impedances ranging from 0.96 to 11.8 megohms. The peak-to-peak outputs of the piezoelectric and pressure transducers were recorded at frequency ranges from DC to 1 kHz with a wide-band oscilloscope. The ratio of the outputs from the piezotransducer and micromanometer (Vph/Vpr) was plotted vs. frequency for each input impedance and analyzed to determine the piezotransducer's output resistance and equivalent capacitance; roll-off frequencies were then calculated. The equivalent capacitance of the piezo-element was determined to be 500-700 picofarads. Series capacitance acted with network resistance to produce a predictable frequency-dependent change in signal amplitude and phase angle. The inherent noise of the pressure transducer was found to be approximately 0.2 mm Hg, while the noise of the piezoelectric transducer was immeasurably low. The piezoelectric phonotransducers were superior to micromanometer transducers in their higher gain and lower noise, suggesting that these transducers may prove useful to physiologic and clinical studies for measuring intravascular sound.

  19. Piezoelectric energy harvesting from flow-induced vibration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, D-A; Ko, H-H

    2010-01-01

    A new piezoelectric energy harvester for harnessing energy from flow-induced vibration is developed. It converts flow energy into electrical energy by piezoelectric conversion with oscillation of a piezoelectric film. A finite element model is developed in order to estimate the generated voltage of the piezoelectric laminate subjected to a distributed load. Prototypes of the energy harvester are fabricated and tested. Experimental results show that an open circuit output voltage of 2.2 V pp and an instantaneous output power of 0.2 µW are generated when the excitation pressure oscillates with an amplitude of 1.196 kPa and a frequency of about 26 Hz. The solution of the generated voltage based on the finite element model agrees well with the experiments. Based on the finite element model, the effects of the piezoelectric film dimensions, the fluid pressure applied to the harvester and types of piezoelectric layer on the output voltage of the harvester can be investigated.

  20. Piezoelectric ceramic-reinforced metal matrix composites

    OpenAIRE

    2004-01-01

    Composite materials comprising piezoelectric ceramic particulates dispersed in a metal matrix are capable of vibration damping. When the piezoelectric ceramic particulates are subjected to strain, such as the strain experienced during vibration of the material, they generate an electrical voltage that is converted into Joule heat in the surrounding metal matrix, thereby dissipating the vibrational energy. The piezoelectric ceramic particulates may also act as reinforcements to improve the mec...

  1. The effects of cavity length on nest size, sex ratio and mortality of Centris (Heterocentris) analis (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Centridini)

    OpenAIRE

    Alonso , Juliana; Silva , Janaina; Garófalo , Carlos

    2012-01-01

    International audience; This study investigated the effects of different cavity lengths in trap-nests on the number of cells constructed per nest, sex ratio and mortality of offspring of Centris analis at three sites in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. Cavity length did not affect the occupation rates of the trap-nests, with the exception of a preference for the shortest trap-nests found at one site. The number of cells per nest increased with trap-nest length. Cavity length affected neithe...

  2. Adaptable piezoelectric hemispherical composite strips using a scalable groove technique for a self-powered muscle monitoring system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alluri, Nagamalleswara Rao; Vivekananthan, Venkateswaran; Chandrasekhar, Arunkumar; Kim, Sang-Jae

    2018-01-18

    Contrary to traditional planar flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs), highly adaptable hemispherical shape-flexible piezoelectric composite strip (HS-FPCS) based PNGs are required to harness/measure non-linear surface motions. Therefore, a feasible, cost-effective and less-time consuming groove technique was developed to fabricate adaptable HS-FPCSs with multiple lengths. A single HS-CSPNG generates 130 V/0.8 μA and can also work as a self-powered muscle monitoring system (SP-MMS) to measure maximum human body part movements, i.e., spinal cord, throat, jaw, elbow, knee, foot stress, palm hand/finger force and inhale/exhale breath conditions at a time or at variable time intervals.

  3. Stable operation of a high-power piezoelectric transformer comprising two identical bolt-clamped Langevin-type transducers and a stepped horn

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adachi, Kazunari; Suzuki, Kohei; Shibamata, Yuki

    2018-06-01

    We previously developed a 100 W piezoelectric transformer comprising two identical bolt-clamped Langevin-type transducers (BLTs) and a stepped horn whose cross-sectional area ratio determines the specified step-up voltage transformation ratio. Unlike conventional piezoelectric transformers, this transformer is driven at a frequency quite near its mechanical resonance, and thus can be mechanically held firmly at its clearly identified vibratory node without mechanical energy loss. However, it has been revealed that the high-power operation of the transformer often becomes very unstable owing to the “jumping and dropping” phenomena first found by Takahashi and Hirose [Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 31, 3055 (1992)]. To avoid this instability, we have investigated the peculiar phenomena, and found that they can be attributed to a heavily distorted electric field inside the piezoelectric ceramic disks of the BLT on the primary side of the transformer being driven by a low-impedance voltage source near the mechanical resonance. The resultant concentration of the electric field leads to the local reversal of piezoelectric polarization in every half period of the vibration, viz., the instability. Consequently, we have developed a scheme for the steady high-power operation of this type of piezoelectric transformer and examined its validity experimentally. The method has eventually improved the linearity and power transfer efficiency of the transformer significantly.

  4. Development of a Multi-Channel Piezoelectric Acoustic Sensor Based on an Artificial Basilar Membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youngdo Jung

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In this research, we have developed a multi-channel piezoelectric acoustic sensor (McPAS that mimics the function of the natural basilar membrane capable of separating incoming acoustic signals mechanically by their frequency and generating corresponding electrical signals. The McPAS operates without an external energy source and signal processing unit with a vibrating piezoelectric thin film membrane. The shape of the vibrating membrane was chosen to be trapezoidal such that different locations of membrane have different local resonance frequencies. The length of the membrane is 28 mm and the width of the membrane varies from 1 mm to 8 mm. Multiphysics finite element analysis (FEA was carried out to predict and design the mechanical behaviors and piezoelectric response of the McPAS model. The designed McPAS was fabricated with a MEMS fabrication process based on the simulated results. The fabricated device was tested with a mouth simulator to measure its mechanical and piezoelectrical frequency response with a laser Doppler vibrometer and acoustic signal analyzer. The experimental results show that the as fabricated McPAS can successfully separate incoming acoustic signals within the 2.5 kHz–13.5 kHz range and the maximum electrical signal output upon acoustic signal input of 94 dBSPL was 6.33 mVpp. The performance of the fabricated McPAS coincided well with the designed parameters.

  5. Energy harvesting from low frequency applications using piezoelectric materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Huidong; Tian, Chuan; Deng, Z. Daniel

    2014-01-01

    In an effort to eliminate the replacement of the batteries of electronic devices that are difficult or impractical to service once deployed, harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations or impacts using piezoelectric materials has been researched over the last several decades. However, a majority of these applications have very low input frequencies. This presents a challenge for the researchers to optimize the energy output of piezoelectric energy harvesters, due to the relatively high elastic moduli of piezoelectric materials used to date. This paper reviews the current state of research on piezoelectric energy harvesting devices for low frequency (0–100 Hz) applications and the methods that have been developed to improve the power outputs of the piezoelectric energy harvesters. Various key aspects that contribute to the overall performance of a piezoelectric energy harvester are discussed, including geometries of the piezoelectric element, types of piezoelectric material used, techniques employed to match the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element to input frequency of the host structure, and electronic circuits specifically designed for energy harvesters

  6. Electromechanical responses of a long piezoelectric tube subjected to dynamic loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Jin H; Shiah, Y C; Lee, Bing Jean

    2008-01-01

    This paper deals with the fully coupled electromechanical response of a long piezoelectric tube subjected to periodic excitation loads. By adopting the variation approach for generalized loading conditions and utilizing Hamilton's principle, the governing differential equations are described in this paper. For studying the direct and converse effect of the piezoelectric tube, the equations of motion are then solved to give exact solutions corresponding to different boundary conditions prescribed for the tube functioning as sensors or actuators. For numerical illustrations of our analysis, a long tube made of polyvinylidene difluoride is investigated for its dynamic responses under different harmonic excitation loads. Contributing to the development of novel acousto-optic, actuator and sensor devices, this work may be extended to investigating the electromechanical responses of piezoelectric coatings on optical fibres

  7. Ferroelectric materials for piezoelectric actuators by optimal design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayachandran, K.P.; Guedes, J.M.; Rodrigues, H.C.

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Microstructure optimization of ferroelectric materials by stochastic optimization. → Polycrystalline ferroelectrics possess better piezo actuation than single crystals. → Randomness of the grain orientations would enhance the overall piezoelectricity. - Abstract: Optimization methods provide a systematic means of designing heterogeneous materials with tailored properties and microstructures focussing on a specific objective. An optimization procedure incorporating a continuum modeling is used in this work to identify the ideal orientation distribution of ferroelectrics (FEs) for application in piezoelectric actuators. Piezoelectric actuation is dictated primarily by the piezoelectric strain coefficients d iμ . Crystallographic orientation is inextricably related to the piezoelectric properties of FEs. This suggests that piezoelectric properties can be tailored by a proper choice of the parameters which control the orientation distribution. Nevertheless, this choice is complicated and it is impossible to analyze all possible combinations of the distribution parameters or the angles themselves. Stochastic optimization combined with a generalized Monte Carlo scheme is used to optimize the objective functions, the effective piezoelectric coefficients d 31 and d 15 . The procedure is applied to heterogeneous, polycrystalline, FE ceramics which are essentially an aggregate of variously oriented grains (crystallites). Global piezoelectric properties are calculated using the homogenization method at each grain configuration chosen by the optimization algorithm. Optimal design variables and microstructure that would generate polycrystalline configurations that multiply the macroscopic piezoelectricity are identified.

  8. An improved resonantly driven piezoelectric gas pump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yue; Liu, Yong; Liu, Jianfang; Jiao, Xiaoyang; Yang, Zhigang; Wang, Long

    2013-01-01

    Piezoelectric pumps have the potential to be used in a variety of applications, such as in air circulation and compression. However, piezoelectric membrane pumps do not have enough driving capacity, and the heat induced during the direct contact between the driving part and the gas medium cannot be dissipated smoothly. When the gas is blocked, the piezoelectric vibrator generates heat quickly, which may eventually lead to damage. Resonantly driven piezoelectric stack pumps have high performance but no price advantage. In this situation, a novel, resonantly driven piezoelectric gas pump with annular bimorph as the driver is presented. In the study, the working principle of the novel pump was analyzed, the vibration mechanics model was determined, and the displacement amplified theory was studied. The outcome indicates that the displacement amplification factor is related with the original displacement provided by the piezoelectric bimorph. In addition, the displacement amplification effect is related to the stiffness of the spring lamination, adjustment spring, and piezoelectric vibrator, as well as to the systematic damping factor and the driving frequency. The experimental prototypes of the proposed pump were designed, and the displacement amplification effect and gas output performance were measured. At 70 V of sinusoidal AC driving voltage, the improved pump amplified the piezoelectric vibrator displacement by 4.2 times, the maximum gas output flow rate reached 1685 ml/min, and the temperature of the bimorph remained normal after 2000 hours of operation when the gas medium was blocked.

  9. V-stack piezoelectric actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ardelean, Emil V.; Clark, Robert L.

    2001-07-01

    Aeroelastic control of wings by means of a distributed, trailing-edge control surface is of interest with regards to maneuvers, gust alleviation, and flutter suppression. The use of high energy density, piezoelectric materials as motors provides an appealing solution to this problem. A comparative analysis of the state of the art actuators is currently being conducted. A new piezoelectric actuator design is presented. This actuator meets the requirements for trailing edge flap actuation in both stroke and force. It is compact, simple, sturdy, and leverages stroke geometrically with minimum force penalties while displaying linearity over a wide range of stroke. The V-Stack Piezoelectric Actuator, consists of a base, a lever, two piezoelectric stacks, and a pre-tensioning element. The work is performed alternately by the two stacks, placed on both sides of the lever. Pre-tensioning can be readily applied using a torque wrench, obviating the need for elastic elements and this is for the benefit of the stiffness of the actuator. The characteristics of the actuator are easily modified by changing the base or the stacks. A prototype was constructed and tested experimentally to validate the theoretical model.

  10. Structure–performance relationships for cantilever-type piezoelectric energy harvesters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Kyung-Hoon; Park, Hwi-Yeol; Heo, Jin S.; Priya, Shashank

    2014-01-01

    This study provides comprehensive analysis of the structure–performance relationships in cantilever-type piezoelectric energy harvesters. It provides full understanding of the effect of all the practical global control variables on the harvester performance. The control variables considered for the analysis were material parameters, areal and volumetric dimensions, and configuration of the inactive and active layers. Experimentally, the output power density of the harvester was maximum when the shape of the beam was close to a square for a constant bending stiffness and a fixed beam area. Through analytical modeling of the effective stiffness for the piezoelectric bimorph, the conditions for enhancing the bending stiffness within the same beam volume as that of a conventional bimorph were identified. The harvester configuration with beam aspect ratio of 0.86 utilizing distributed inactive layers exhibited an giant output power of 52.5 mW and power density of 28.5 mW cm −3 at 30 Hz under 6.9 m s −2 excitation. The analysis further indicates that the trend in the output power with varying damping ratio is dissimilar to that of the efficiency. In order to realize best performance, the harvester should be designed with respect to maximizing the magnitude of output power.

  11. Multimodal piezoelectric devices optimization for energy harvesting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G Acciani

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The use of the piezoelectric effect to convert ambient vibration into useful electrical energy constitutes one of the most studied areas in Energy Harvesting (EH research. This paper presents a typical cantilevered Energy Harvester device, which relates the electrical outputs to the vibration mode shape easily. The dynamic strain induced in the piezoceramic layer results in an alternating voltage output. The first six modes of frequencies and the deformation pattern of the beam are carried out basing on an eigenfrequency analysis conducted by the MEMS modules of the COMSOL Multiphysic® v3.5a to perform the Finite Element Analysis of the model. Subsequently, the piezoelectric material is cut around the inflection points to minimize the voltage cancellation effect occurring when the sign changes in the material. This study shows that the voltage produced by the device, increases in as the dimensions of the cuts vary in the piezoelectric layer. Such voltage reaches the optimum amount of piezoelectric material and cuts positioning. This proves that the optimized piezoelectric layer is 16% more efficient than the whole piezoelectric layer.

  12. Theoretical investigations of energy harvesting efficiency from structural vibrations using piezoelectric and electromagnetic oscillators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harne, Ryan L

    2012-07-01

    Conversion of ambient vibrational energy into electric power has been the impetus of much modern research. The traditional analysis has focused on absolute electrical power output from the harvesting devices and efficiency defined as the convertibility of an infinite resource of vibration excitation into power. This perspective has limited extensibility when applying resonant harvesters to host resonant structures when the inertial influence of the harvester is more significant. Instead, this work pursues a fundamental understanding of the coupled dynamics of a main mass-spring-damper system to which an electromagnetic or piezoelectric mass-spring-damper is attached. The governing equations are derived, a metric of efficiency is presented, and analysis is undertaken. It is found that electromagnetic energy harvesting efficiency and maximum power output is limited by the strength of the coupling such that no split system resonances are induced for a given mass ratio. For piezoelectric harvesters, only the coupling strength and certain design requirements dictate maximum power and efficiency achievable. Since the harvesting circuitry must "follow" the split resonances as the piezoelectric harvesters become more massive, the optimum design of piezoelectric harvesters appears to be more involved than for electromagnetic devices.

  13. Preisach model of hysteresis for the Piezoelectric Actuator Drive

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel; Andersen, Michael A. E.; Zhang, Zhe

    2015-01-01

    The Piezoelectric Actuator Drive (PAD) is a precise piezoelectric motor generating high-torque rotary motion, which employs piezoelectric stack actuators in a wobblestyle actuation to generate rotation. The piezoelectric stacked ceramics used as the basis for motion in the motor suffer from...

  14. Self-oscillating loop based piezoelectric power converter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2013-01-01

    The present invention relates to a piezoelectric power converter comprising an input driver electrically coupled directly to an input or primary electrode of the piezoelectric transformer without any intervening series or parallel inductor. A feedback loop is operatively coupled between an output......- oscillation loop within a zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) operation range of the piezoelectric transformer....

  15. Polarization Stability of Amorphous Piezoelectric Polyimides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, C.; Ounaies, Z.; Su, J.; Smith, J. G., Jr.; Harrison, J. S.

    2000-01-01

    Amorphous polyimides containing polar functional groups have been synthesized and investigated for potential use as high temperature piezoelectric sensors. The thermal stability of the piezoelectric effect of one polyimide was evaluated as a function of various curing and poling conditions under dynamic and static thermal stimuli. First, the polymer samples were thermally cycled under strain by systematically increasing the maximum temperature from 50 C to 200 C while the piezoelectric strain coefficient was being measured. Second, the samples were isothermally aged at an elevated temperature in air, and the isothermal decay of the remanent polarization was measured at room temperature as a function of time. Both conventional and corona poling methods were evaluated. This material exhibited good thermal stability of the piezoelectric properties up to 100 C.

  16. Strong piezoelectricity in bioinspired peptide nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kholkin, Andrei; Amdursky, Nadav; Bdikin, Igor; Gazit, Ehud; Rosenman, Gil

    2010-02-23

    We show anomalously strong shear piezoelectric activity in self-assembled diphenylalanine peptide nanotubes (PNTs), indicating electric polarization directed along the tube axis. Comparison with well-known piezoelectric LiNbO(3) and lateral signal calibration yields sufficiently high effective piezoelectric coefficient values of at least 60 pm/V (shear response for tubes of approximately 200 nm in diameter). PNTs demonstrate linear deformation without irreversible degradation in a broad range of driving voltages. The results open up a wide avenue for developing new generations of "green" piezoelectric materials and piezonanodevices based on bioactive tubular nanostructures potentially compatible with human tissue.

  17. Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Solutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caliò, Renato; Rongala, Udaya Bhaskar; Camboni, Domenico; Milazzo, Mario; Stefanini, Cesare; de Petris, Gianluca; Oddo, Calogero Maria

    2014-01-01

    This paper reviews the state of the art in piezoelectric energy harvesting. It presents the basics of piezoelectricity and discusses materials choice. The work places emphasis on material operating modes and device configurations, from resonant to non-resonant devices and also to rotational solutions. The reviewed literature is compared based on power density and bandwidth. Lastly, the question of power conversion is addressed by reviewing various circuit solutions. PMID:24618725

  18. A Capacitance-Based Methodology for the Estimation of Piezoelectric Coefficients of Poled Piezoelectric Materials

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud

    2010-10-04

    A methodology is proposed to estimate the piezoelectric coefficients of bulk piezoelectric materials using simple capacitance measurements. The extracted values of d33 and d31 from the capacitance measurements were 506 pC/N and 247 pC/N, respectively. The d33 value is in agreement with that obtained from the Berlincourt method, which gave a d33 value of 500 pC/N. In addition, the d31 value is in agreement with the value obtained from the optical method, which gave a d 31 value of 223 pC/V. These results suggest that the proposed method is a viable way to quickly estimate piezoelectric coefficients of bulk unclamped samples. © 2010 The Electrochemical Society.

  19. Theoretical analysis of dynamic property for piezoelectric cantilever triple-layer benders with large piezoelectric and electromechanical coupling coefficients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Jiao Gong

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Ferroelectric single crystals, such as PZN-PT, provide novel prospects in piezoelectric bending devices such as actuators, sensors or energy harvesters because of their extraordinarily large piezoelectric coefficients. However, large errors may occur in some analyses on electromechanical behaviors using the conventional models. We find the bending rigidity of piezoelectric composited bender is affected not only by thickness, width and the modulus of elasticity of the different layers but also electromechanical coupling coefficients (EMCCs of the piezoelectric material and the larger EMCCs mean more marked effect. This paper focuses on the derivation of the applied input excitation and output response characteristics in the circular frequency domain for piezoelectric cantilever triple-layer benders (PCTBs, taking into account the secondary piezoelectric effect. Analytic dynamic descriptions of such actuators and transducers are obtained. Based on the presented models dynamic features of PCTB composed of PZN-8%PT are calculated, and numerical results coincide with simulations using the finite element method (FEM.

  20. Piezoelectric Accelerometers Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Bin; Bang, Lisbet Fogh

    1999-01-01

    The paper describes the development of piezoelectric accelerometers using Finite Element (FE) approach. Brüel & Kjær Accelerometer Type 8325 is chosen as an example to illustrate the advanced accelerometer development procedure. The deviation between simulated results and measured results of Type...... 8325 are below 6%. It is proved that the specifications of the accelerometer can be effectively predicted using the FE method, especially when modifications of the accelerometer are required. The development process of piezoelectric accelerometers in Brüel & Kjær is becoming more efficient...

  1. Piezoelectric accelerometeres development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Bin

    1999-01-01

    The paper describes the development of piezoelectric accelerometers using Finite Element (FE) approach. Brüel & Kjær Accelerometer Type 8325 is chosen as an example to illustrate the advanced accelerometer development procedure. The deviation between simulated results and measured results of Type...... 8325 are below 6%. It is proved that the specifications of the accelerometer can be effectively predicted using the FE method, especially when modifications of the accelerometer are required. The development process of piezoelectric accelerometers in Brüel & Kjær is becoming more efficient....

  2. Peritubular dentin lacks piezoelectricity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habelitz, S; Rodriguez, B J; Marshall, S J; Marshall, G W; Kalinin, S V; Gruverman, A

    2007-09-01

    Dentin is a mesenchymal tissue, and, as such, is based on a collagenous matrix that is reinforced by apatite mineral. Collagen fibrils show piezoelectricity, a phenomenon that is used by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) to obtain high-resolution images. We applied PFM to image human dentin with 10-nm resolution, and to test the hypothesis that zones of piezoactivity, indicating the presence of collagen fibrils, can be distinguished in dentin. Piezoelectricity was observed by PFM in the dentin intertubular matrix, while the peritubular dentin remained without response. High-resolution imaging of chemically treated intertubular dentin attributed the piezoelectric effect to individual collagen fibrils that differed in the signal strength, depending on the fibril orientation. This study supports the hypothesis that peritubular dentin is a non-collagenous tissue and is thus an exception among mineralized tissues that derive from the mesenchyme.

  3. Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of lead-free niobium-rich potassium lithium tantalate niobate single crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Jun, E-mail: lijuna@hit.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Li, Yang [Department of chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Zhou, Zhongxiang [Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Guo, Ruyan; Bhalla, Amar S. [Multifunctional Electronic Materials and Device Research Lab, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio 78249 (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Lead-free K{sub 0.95}Li{sub 0.05}Ta{sub 1−x}Nb{sub x}O{sub 3} single crystals were grown using the top-seeded melt growth method. • The piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of as-grown crystals were systematically investigated. • The piezoelectric properties are very attractive, e.g. for x = 0.60 composition, k{sub t} ≈ 70%, k{sub 31} ≈ 70%, k{sub 33} ≈ 77%, d{sub 31} ≈ 230 pC/N, d{sub 33} ≈ 600 pC/N. • The coercive fields of P–E hysteresis loops are quite small, about or less than 1 kV/mm. - Abstract: Lead-free potassium lithium tantalate niobate single crystals with the composition of K{sub 0.95}Li{sub 0.05}Ta{sub 1−x}Nb{sub x}O{sub 3} (abbreviated as KLTN, x = 0.51, 0.60, 0.69, 0.78) were grown using the top-seeded melt growth method. Their piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties in as-grown crystals have been systematically investigated. The phase transitions and Curie temperatures were determined from dielectric and pyroelectric measurements. Piezoelectric coefficients and electromechanical coupling factors in thickness mode, length-extensional mode and longitudinal mode were obtained. The piezoelectric properties are very attractive, e.g. for x = 0.60 composition, k{sub t} ≈ 70%, k{sub 31} ≈ 70%, k{sub 33} ≈ 77%, d{sub 31} ≈ 230 pC/N, d{sub 33} ≈ 600 pC/N are comparable to the lead-based PZT composition. The polarization versus electric field hysteresis loops show saturated shapes. In short, lead-free niobium-rich KLTN system possesses comparable properties to those in important lead-based piezoelectric material nowadays.

  4. Dynamic Electromechanical Coupling of Piezoelectric Bending Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mostafa R. A. Nabawy

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Electromechanical coupling defines the ratio of electrical and mechanical energy exchanged during a flexure cycle of a piezoelectric actuator. This paper presents an analysis of the dynamic electromechanical coupling factor (dynamic EMCF for cantilever based piezoelectric actuators and provides for the first time explicit expressions for calculation of dynamic EMCF based on arrangement of passive and active layers, layer geometry, and active and passive materials selection. Three main cantilever layer configurations are considered: unimorph, dual layer bimorph and triple layer bimorph. The actuator is modeled using standard constitutive dynamic equations that relate deflection and charge to force and voltage. A mode shape formulation is used for the cantilever dynamics that allows the generalized mass to be the actual mass at the first resonant frequency, removing the need for numerical integration in the design process. Results are presented in the form of physical insight from the model structure and also numerical evaluations of the model to provide trends in dynamic EMCF with actuator design parameters. For given material properties of the active and passive layers and given system overall damping ratio, the triple layer bimorph topology is the best in terms of theoretically achievable dynamic EMCF, followed by the dual layer bimorph. For a damping ratio of 0.035, the dynamic EMCF for an example dual layer bimorph configuration is 9% better than for a unimorph configuration. For configurations with a passive layer, the ratio of thicknesses for the passive and active layers is the primary geometric design variable. Choice of passive layer stiffness (Young’s modulus relative to the stiffness of the material in the active layer is an important materials related design choice. For unimorph configurations, it is beneficial to use the highest stiffness possible passive material, whereas for triple layer bimorph configurations, the passive

  5. Shear wave propagation in piezoelectric-piezoelectric composite layered structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anshu Mli Gaur

    Full Text Available The propagation behavior of shear wave in piezoelectric composite structure is investigated by two layer model presented in this approach. The composite structure comprises of piezoelectric layers of two different materials bonded alternatively. Dispersion equations are derived for propagation along the direction normal to the layering and in direction of layering. It has been revealed that thickness and elastic constants have significant influence on propagation behavior of shear wave. The phase velocity and wave number is numerically calculated for alternative layer of Polyvinylidene Difluoride (PVDF and Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT-5H in composite layered structure. The analysis carried out in this paper evaluates the effect of volume fraction on the phase velocity of shear wave.

  6. Highly piezoelectric BaTiO3 nanorod bundle arrays using epitaxially grown TiO2 nanomaterials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Seon-Min; Yang, Su Chul

    2018-06-08

    Low-dimensional piezoelectric nanostructures such as nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires, nanoribbons and nanosheets have been developed for potential applications as energy harvesters, tunable sensors, functional transducers and low-power actuators. In this study, lead-free BaTiO 3 nanorod bundle arrays (NBA) with highly piezoelectric properties were successfully synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate via a two-step process consisting of TiO 2 epitaxial growth and BaTiO 3 conversion. Through the TiO 2 epitaxial growth on FTO substrate, (001) oriented TiO 2 nanostructures formed vertically-aligned NBA with a bundle diameter of 80 nm and an aspect ratio of six. In particular, chemical etching of the TiO 2 NBA was conducted to enlarge the surface area for effective Ba 2+ ion diffusion during the perovskite conversion process from TiO 2 to BaTiO 3 . The final structure of perovskite BaTiO 3 NBA was found to exhibit a feasible piezoelectric response of 3.56 nm with a clear phase change of 180° from the single BaTiO 3 bundle, by point piezoelectric forced microscopy (PFM) analysis. Consequently, highly piezoelectric NBA could be a promising nanostructure for various nanoscale electronic devices.

  7. Highly piezoelectric BaTiO3 nanorod bundle arrays using epitaxially grown TiO2 nanomaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Seon-Min; Yang, Su Chul

    2018-06-01

    Low-dimensional piezoelectric nanostructures such as nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires, nanoribbons and nanosheets have been developed for potential applications as energy harvesters, tunable sensors, functional transducers and low-power actuators. In this study, lead-free BaTiO 3 nanorod bundle arrays (NBA) with highly piezoelectric properties were successfully synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate via a two-step process consisting of TiO2 epitaxial growth and BaTiO3 conversion. Through the TiO2 epitaxial growth on FTO substrate, (001) oriented TiO2 nanostructures formed vertically-aligned NBA with a bundle diameter of 80 nm and an aspect ratio of six. In particular, chemical etching of the TiO2 NBA was conducted to enlarge the surface area for effective Ba2+ ion diffusion during the perovskite conversion process from TiO2 to BaTiO3. The final structure of perovskite BaTiO3 NBA was found to exhibit a feasible piezoelectric response of 3.56 nm with a clear phase change of 180° from the single BaTiO3 bundle, by point piezoelectric forced microscopy (PFM) analysis. Consequently, highly piezoelectric NBA could be a promising nanostructure for various nanoscale electronic devices.

  8. Nanoscans of piezoelectric activity using an atomic force microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Z.; Guy, I.L.; Butcher, K.S.A.; Tansley, T.L.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Any crystal which lacks a centre of symmetry is piezoelectric. This includes all of the ferroelectric crystals used in photonics and virtually all compound semiconductors. Such crystals, when grown in thin film form invariably exist in a strained state and thus possess internal piezoelectric fields which can affect their electronic properties. A knowledge of the piezoelectric properties of such crystals is thus important in understanding how they behave in practical devices. It also provides a tool for analysing the crystal structure of such materials. Using an atomic force microscope (AFM) as a probe of piezoelectric activity allows the study of variations in crystal structure on a nanoscale. The AFM piezoelectric technique has been used by several groups to study structures of ceramic materials with large piezoelectric coefficients, intended for applications in piezoelectric actuators. In the AFM method, a driving signal of a few volts at a frequency well below the AFM tip resonance, is applied to a sample of the material mounted in the AFM. This voltage causes the sample dimensions to change in ways determined by the piezoelectric properties of the sample. The AFM signal thus contains the normal surface profile information and an additional component generated by the piezoelectric vibrations of the sample. A lockin amplifier is used to separate the piezoelectric signal from the normal AFM surface profile signal. The result is the simultaneous acquisition of the surface profile and a piezoelectric map of the surface of the material under study. We will present results showing the results of such measurements in materials such as lithium niobate and gallium nitride. These materials have piezoelectric coefficients which are much lower than those of materials to which the technique has normally been applied

  9. Observation of piezoelectricity in free-standing monolayer MoS₂.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hanyu; Wang, Yuan; Xiao, Jun; Liu, Ming; Xiong, Shaomin; Wong, Zi Jing; Ye, Ziliang; Ye, Yu; Yin, Xiaobo; Zhang, Xiang

    2015-02-01

    Piezoelectricity allows precise and robust conversion between electricity and mechanical force, and arises from the broken inversion symmetry in the atomic structure. Reducing the dimensionality of bulk materials has been suggested to enhance piezoelectricity. However, when the thickness of a material approaches a single molecular layer, the large surface energy can cause piezoelectric structures to be thermodynamically unstable. Transition-metal dichalcogenides can retain their atomic structures down to the single-layer limit without lattice reconstruction, even under ambient conditions. Recent calculations have predicted the existence of piezoelectricity in these two-dimensional crystals due to their broken inversion symmetry. Here, we report experimental evidence of piezoelectricity in a free-standing single layer of molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) and a measured piezoelectric coefficient of e₁₁ = 2.9 × 10(-10) C m(-1). The measurement of the intrinsic piezoelectricity in such free-standing crystals is free from substrate effects such as doping and parasitic charges. We observed a finite and zero piezoelectric response in MoS₂ in odd and even number of layers, respectively, in sharp contrast to bulk piezoelectric materials. This oscillation is due to the breaking and recovery of the inversion symmetry of the two-dimensional crystal. Through the angular dependence of electromechanical coupling, we determined the two-dimensional crystal orientation. The piezoelectricity discovered in this single molecular membrane promises new applications in low-power logic switches for computing and ultrasensitive biological sensors scaled down to a single atomic unit cell.

  10. Finite element analysis of piezoelectric materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lowrie, F.; Stewart, M.; Cain, M.; Gee, M.

    1999-01-01

    This guide is intended to help people wanting to do finite element analysis of piezoelectric materials by answering some of the questions that are peculiar to piezoelectric materials. The document is not intended as a complete beginners guide for finite element analysis in general as this is better dealt with by the individual software producers. The guide is based around the commercial package ANSYS as this is a popular package amongst piezoelectric material users, however much of the information will still be useful to users of other finite element codes. (author)

  11. Adaptive piezoelectric sensoriactuators for active structural acoustic control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vipperman, Jeffrey Stuart

    1997-09-01

    A new transducer technology with application to active control systems, modal analysis, and autonomous system health monitoring, is brought to fruition in this work. It has the advantages of being lightweight, potentially cost-effective, self-tuning, has negligible dynamics, and most importantly (from a robustness perspective), it provides a colocated sensor/actuator pair. The transducer consists of a piezoceramic element which serves as both an actuator and a sensor and will be referred to in this work as a sensoriactuator. Simple, adaptive signal processing in conjunction with a voltage controlled amplifier, reference capacitor, and a common-mode rejection circuit extract the mechanical response from the total response of the piezoelectric sensoriactuator for sensing. The digital portion of the adaptive piezoelectric sensoriactuator merely serves to tune the circuit, avoiding the potentially destabilizing effects of introducing a digital delay in the signal path, when used for feedback control applications. Adaptive compensation of the sensoriactuator is necessary since the signal to noise ratio is typically greater than 40 dB, making it prohibitive to tune the circuit manually. In addition, the constitutive properties of piezoceramics vary with time and environment, necessitating that the circuit be periodically re-tuned. The analog portion of the hardware is based upon op-amp circuits and an AD632 analog multiplier chip, which serves as both a voltage controlled amplifier (VCA) and a common mode rejection (CMR) circuit. A single coefficient least-mean square (LMS) adaptive filter continuously adjusts the gain of the VCA circuit as necessary. Nonideal behavior of piezoceramics is discussed along with methods to counter the consequential deterioration in circuit performance. A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) implementation of the adaptive piezoelectric sensoriactuator is developed using orthogonal white noise training signals for each sensoriactuator. Two

  12. Vibrations of thin piezoelectric shallow shells: Two-dimensional ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

    In this paper we consider the eigenvalue problem for piezoelectric shallow shells and we show that, as the thickness of the shell goes to zero, the eigensolutions of the three-dimensional piezoelectric shells converge to the eigensolutions of a two- dimensional eigenvalue problem. Keywords. Vibrations; piezoelectricity ...

  13. Piezoelectricity

    CERN Document Server

    Lubitz, Karl

    2008-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials play a key role in an innovative market. Advances in applications derive from new materials and their development, as well as to new market requirements. This report elucidates these developments by a broad spectrum of examples, comprising ultrasound in medicine and defence industry, and frequency control.

  14. Giant piezoelectricity on Si for hyperactive MEMS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baek, S H; Park, J; Kim, D M; Aksyuk, V A; Das, R R; Bu, S D; Felker, D A; Lettieri, J; Vaithyanathan, V; Bharadwaja, S S N; Bassiri-Gharb, N; Chen, Y B; Sun, H P; Folkman, C M; Jang, H W; Kreft, D J; Streiffer, S K; Ramesh, R; Pan, X Q; Trolier-McKinstry, S; Schlom, D G; Rzchowski, M S; Blick, R H; Eom, C B

    2011-11-18

    Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) incorporating active piezoelectric layers offer integrated actuation, sensing, and transduction. The broad implementation of such active MEMS has long been constrained by the inability to integrate materials with giant piezoelectric response, such as Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O(3)-PbTiO(3) (PMN-PT). We synthesized high-quality PMN-PT epitaxial thin films on vicinal (001) Si wafers with the use of an epitaxial (001) SrTiO(3) template layer with superior piezoelectric coefficients (e(31,f) = -27 ± 3 coulombs per square meter) and figures of merit for piezoelectric energy-harvesting systems. We have incorporated these heterostructures into microcantilevers that are actuated with extremely low drive voltage due to thin-film piezoelectric properties that rival bulk PMN-PT single crystals. These epitaxial heterostructures exhibit very large electromechanical coupling for ultrasound medical imaging, microfluidic control, mechanical sensing, and energy harvesting.

  15. Piezoelectric nanomaterials for biomedical applications

    CERN Document Server

    Menciassi, Arianna

    2012-01-01

    Nanoscale structures and materials have been explored in many biological applications because of their novel and impressive physical and chemical properties. Such properties allow remarkable opportunities to study and interact with complex biological processes. This book analyses the state of the art of piezoelectric nanomaterials and introduces their applications in the biomedical field. Despite their impressive potentials, piezoelectric materials have not yet received significant attention for bio-applications. This book shows that the exploitation of piezoelectric nanoparticles in nanomedicine is possible and realistic, and their impressive physical properties can be useful for several applications, ranging from sensors and transducers for the detection of biomolecules to “sensible” substrates for tissue engineering or cell stimulation.

  16. The Possible Role of Dentin as a Piezoelectric Signal Generator by Determining the Elec-tromechanical Coupling Factor of Dentin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atabak Shahidi

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: This article aimed at calculation of the electromechanical coupling factor of dentin which is an indicator of the effectiveness with which a piezoelectric material converts electrical en-ergy into mechanical energy, or vice versa. The hypothesis: The electro-mechanical coupling factor of dentin was determined in mode 11 and 33 by calculating the ratio of the produced electrical energy to the stored elastic energy in dentin under applied pressure. This study showed that the electromechanical coupling factor of dentin was affected by the direction of the applied force and the moisture content of dentin. Also dentin was a weak electromechanical energy converter which might be categorized as a piezoelectric pressure sensor.Evaluation of the hypothesis: Determination of the electrome-chanical coupling factor of dentin and its other piezoelectric constants is essential to investigate the biologic role of piezoelectricity in tooth.

  17. Cycle length and COD/N ratio determine properties of aerobic granules treating high-nitrogen wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cydzik-Kwiatkowska, Agnieszka; Bernat, Katarzyna; Zielińska, Magdalena; Wojnowska-Baryła, Irena

    2014-07-01

    Aerobic granule characteristic in sequencing batch reactors treating high-nitrogen digester supernatant was investigated at cycle lengths (t) of 6, 8 and 12 h with the COD/N ratios in the influent of 4.5 and 2.3. The biomass production (Y obs) correlated with the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in grams per COD removed. Denitrification efficiency significantly decreased as the amount of EPS in biomass increased, suggesting that organic assimilation in EPS hampers nitrogen removal. Granule hydrophobicity was highest at t of 8 h; the t has to be long enough to remove pollutants, but not so long that excessive biomass starvation causes extracellular protein consumption that decreases hydrophobicity. At a given t, reducing the COD/N ratio improved hydrophobicity that stimulates cell aggregation. At t of 6 h and the COD/N ratio of 2.3, the dominance of 0.5-1.0 mm granules favored simultaneous nitrification and denitrification and resulted in the highest nitrogen removal.

  18. Calculations for Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Henrik

    1986-01-01

    Analysis of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers implies a solution of a boundary value problem, for a boay which consists of different materials, including a piezoelectric part. The problem is dynamic at frequencies, where a typical wavelength is somewhat less than the size of the body. Radiation...

  19. Applications of piezoelectric materials in oilfield services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goujon, Nicolas; Hori, Hiroshi; Liang, Kenneth K; Sinha, Bikash K

    2012-09-01

    Piezoelectric materials are used in many applications in the oilfield services industry. Four illustrative examples are given in this paper: marine seismic survey, precision pressure measurement, sonic logging-while-drilling, and ultrasonic bore-hole imaging. In marine seismics, piezoelectric hydrophones are deployed on a massive scale in a relatively benign environment. Hence, unit cost and device reliability are major considerations. The remaining three applications take place downhole in a characteristically harsh environment with high temperature and high pressure among other factors. The number of piezoelectric devices involved is generally small but otherwise highly valued. The selection of piezoelectric materials is limited, and the devices have to be engineered to withstand the operating conditions. With the global demand for energy increasing in the foreseeable future, the search for hydrocarbon resources is reaching into deeper and hotter wells. There is, therefore, a continuing and pressing need for high-temperature and high-coupling piezoelectric materials.

  20. Analysis of active piezoelectric energy harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiliang CUI

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Most of the existing piezoelectric traps are designed for a narrow frequency range of vibration, but the surrounding environment has a very wide frequency range, and the frequency may also be subject to change, causing the problem of difficult to achieve energy capture or capture inefficiency. In order to solve problem, a new T-type piezoelectric cantilever is proposed as a capture energy structure in the paper. To begin with the aspects of structural design and circuit design, the static analysis, modal analysis and resonance analysis of the structure are carried out and the natural frequency and excitation frequency of the device are analyzed. The design and calculation of the power consumption and the loss of the components of the circuit are analyzed by the simulation and verification of the active capture energy circuit, and the active and passive techniques are compared and analyzed, the simulation of the active capture circuit is verified by analyzing the power consumption of the circuit and the maximum power obtained by the active technology is 5 times of that of the passive technology. And then the voltage-controlled active boundary control method can be used for interface circuit design, taking the initiative to use each piezoelectric transduction cycle triggered by the electrical boundary conditions to effectively increase the input piezoelectric pump energy, and then increase output power. The way of utilizing the active trapping of piezoelectric materials is innovated, which has a positive effect on the development of piezoelectric traps.

  1. Radial-Electric-Field Piezoelectric Diaphragm Pumps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant, Robert G.; Working, Dennis C.; Mossi, Karla; Castro, Nicholas D.; Mane, Pooma

    2009-01-01

    In a recently invented class of piezoelectric diaphragm pumps, the electrode patterns on the piezoelectric diaphragms are configured so that the electric fields in the diaphragms have symmetrical radial (along-the-surface) components in addition to through-the-thickness components. Previously, it was accepted in the piezoelectric-transducer art that in order to produce the out-of-plane bending displacement of a diaphragm needed for pumping, one must make the electric field asymmetrical through the thickness, typically by means of electrodes placed on only one side of the piezoelectric material. In the present invention, electrodes are placed on both sides and patterned so as to produce substantial radial as well as through-the-thickness components. Moreover, unlike in the prior art, the electric field can be symmetrical through the thickness. Tests have shown in a given diaphragm that an electrode configuration according to this invention produces more displacement than does a conventional one-sided electrode pattern. The invention admits of numerous variations characterized by various degrees of complexity. Figure 1 is a simplified depiction of a basic version. As in other piezoelectric diaphragm pumps of similar basic design, the prime mover is a piezoelectric diaphragm. Application of a suitable voltage to the electrodes on the diaphragm causes it to undergo out-of-plane bending. The bending displacement pushes a fluid out of, or pulls the fluid into, a chamber bounded partly by the diaphragm. Also as in other diaphragm pumps in general, check valves ensure that the fluid flows only in through one port and only out through another port.

  2. Multilayer modal actuator-based piezoelectric transformers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yao-Tien; Wu, Wen-Jong; Wang, Yen-Chieh; Lee, Chih-Kung

    2007-02-01

    An innovative, multilayer piezoelectric transformer equipped with a full modal filtering input electrode is reported herein. This modal-shaped electrode, based on the orthogonal property of structural vibration modes, is characterized by full modal filtering to ensure that only the desired vibration mode is excited during operation. The newly developed piezoelectric transformer is comprised of three layers: a multilayered input layer, an insulation layer, and a single output layer. The electrode shape of the input layer is derived from its structural vibration modal shape, which takes advantage of the orthogonal property of the vibration modes to achieve a full modal filtering effect. The insulation layer possesses two functions: first, to couple the mechanical vibration energy between the input and output, and second, to provide electrical insulation between the two layers. To meet the two functions, a low temperature, co-fired ceramic (LTCC) was used to provide the high mechanical rigidity and high electrical insulation. It can be shown that this newly developed piezoelectric transformer has the advantage of possessing a more efficient energy transfer and a wider optimal working frequency range when compared to traditional piezoelectric transformers. A multilayer piezoelectric, transformer-based inverter applicable for use in LCD monitors or portable displays is presented as well.

  3. Development of piezoelectric composites for transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safari, A.

    1994-07-01

    For the past decade and a half, many different types of piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites have been developed intended for transducer applications. These diphasic composites are prepared from non-active polymer, such as epoxy, and piezoelectric ceramic, such as PZT, in the form of filler powders, elongated fibers, multilayer and more complex three-dimensional structures. For the last four years, most of the efforts have been given to producing large area and fine scale PZT fiber composites. In this paper, processing of piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites with various connectivity patterns are reviewed. Development of fine scale piezoelectric composites by lost mold, injection molding and the relic method are described. Research activities of different groups for preparing large area piezocomposites for hydrophone and actuator applications are briefly reviewed. Initial development of electrostrictive ceramics and composites are also

  4. Vibrations of Thin Piezoelectric Shallow Shells

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. In this paper we consider the eigenvalue problem for piezoelectric shallow shells and we show that, as the thickness of the shell goes to zero, the eigensolutions of the three-dimensional piezoelectric shells converge to the eigensolutions of a two-dimensional eigenvalue problem.

  5. Robust design method and thermostatic experiment for multiple piezoelectric vibration absorber system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nambu, Yohsuke; Takashima, Toshihide; Inagaki, Akiya

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines the effects of connecting multiplexing shunt circuits composed of inductors and resistors to piezoelectric transducers so as to improve the robustness of a piezoelectric vibration absorber (PVA). PVAs are well known to be effective at suppressing the vibration of an adaptive structure; their weakness is low robustness to changes in the dynamic parameters of the system, including the main structure and the absorber. In the application to space structures, the temperature-dependency of capacitance of piezoelectric ceramics is the factor that causes performance reduction. To improve robustness to the temperature-dependency of the capacitance, this paper proposes a multiple-PVA system that is composed of distributed piezoelectric transducers and several shunt circuits. The optimization problems that determine both the frequencies and the damping ratios of the PVAs are multi-objective problems, which are solved using a real-coded genetic algorithm in this paper. A clamped aluminum beam with four groups of piezoelectric ceramics attached was considered in simulations and experiments. Numerical simulations revealed that the PVA systems designed using the proposed method had tolerance to changes in the capacitances. Furthermore, experiments using a thermostatic bath were conducted to reveal the effectiveness and robustness of the PVA systems. The maximum peaks of the transfer functions of the beam with the open circuit, the single-PVA system, the double-PVA system, and the quadruple-PVA system at 20 °C were 14.3 dB, −6.91 dB, −7.47 dB, and −8.51 dB, respectively. The experimental results also showed that the multiple-PVA system is more robust than a single PVA in a variable temperature environment from −10 °C to 50 °C. In conclusion, the use of multiple PVAs results in an effective, robust vibration control method for adaptive structures. (paper)

  6. Structured Piezoelectric Composites : Materials and Applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van den Ende, D.A.

    2012-01-01

    The piezoelectric effect, which causes a material to generate a voltage when it deforms, is very suitable for making integrated sensors, and (micro-) generators. However, conventional piezoelectric materials are either brittle ceramics or certain polymers with a low thermal stability, which limits

  7. Polymer-ceramic piezoelectric composites (PZT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bassora, L.A.; Eiras, J.A.

    1992-01-01

    Polymer-ceramic piezoelectric transducers, with 1-3 of connectivity were prepared with different concentration of ceramic material. Piezoelectric composites, with equal electromechanical coupling factor and acoustic impedance of one third from that ceramic transducer, were obtained when the fractionary volume of PZT reach 30%. (C.G.C.)

  8. Piezoelectric Active Humidity Sensors Based on Lead-Free NaNbO3 Piezoelectric Nanofibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Gu

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The development of micro-/nano-scaled energy harvesters and the self-powered sensor system has attracted great attention due to the miniaturization and integration of the micro-device. In this work, lead-free NaNbO3 piezoelectric nanofibers with a monoclinic perovskite structure were synthesized by the far-field electrospinning method. The flexible active humidity sensors were fabricated by transferring the nanofibers from silicon to a soft polymer substrate. The sensors exhibited outstanding piezoelectric energy-harvesting performance with output voltage up to 2 V during the vibration process. The output voltage generated by the NaNbO3 sensors exhibited a negative correlation with the environmental humidity varying from 5% to 80%, where the peak-to-peak value of the output voltage generated by the sensors decreased from 0.40 to 0.07 V. The sensor also exhibited a short response time, good selectively against ethanol steam, and great temperature stability. The piezoelectric active humidity sensing property could be attributed to the increased leakage current in the NaNbO3 nanofibers, which was generated due to proton hopping among the H3O+ groups in the absorbed H2O layers under the driving force of the piezoelectric potential.

  9. Phase structure and piezoelectric properties of Li-modified NKLN lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sin-Woong; Lee, Sung-Chan; Kim, Min-Soo; Jeong, Soon-Jong; Kim, In-Sung; Song, Jae-Sung

    2012-01-01

    Through the low-temperature sintering method, a sintered body with excellent characteristics was produced in an eco-friendly niobate-based piezoelectric ceramic, whose application was low in expectation due to poor sinterability. Li 2 CO 3 was added in excess to (Na 0.49 K 0.45 Li 0.06 )NbO 3 , and ceramics were manufactured using a commercial sintering method. Then, the sinterability and the piezoelectric properties of the specimens containing varying amounts of Li 2 CO 3 were investigated. The microstructure demonstrated the typical abnormal grain growth tendencies with the addition of Li 2 CO 3 , and this was explained through changes in the critical driving force in the interface reaction-controlled nucleation and growth theory. When the specimen had been sintered at 1000 .deg. C for 4 hours in air after the addition of 1.5 mol% Li 2 CO 3 , the sintered body showed outstanding characteristics with a piezoelectric coefficient of 180 pC/N, an electromechanical coupling coefficient of 0.32, and a dielectric constant of 975. These results showed that eco-friendly niobate-based ceramics, whose use in applications was expected to be difficult in spite of their excellent properties, could be used to produce piezoelectric materials with outstanding properties through a commercial low-temperature sintering method using additives.

  10. Phase structure and piezoelectric properties of Li-modified NKLN lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Sin-Woong; Lee, Sung-Chan; Kim, Min-Soo; Jeong, Soon-Jong; Kim, In-Sung; Song, Jae-Sung [Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Changwon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-09-15

    Through the low-temperature sintering method, a sintered body with excellent characteristics was produced in an eco-friendly niobate-based piezoelectric ceramic, whose application was low in expectation due to poor sinterability. Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3} was added in excess to (Na{sub 0.49}K{sub 0.45}Li{sub 0.06})NbO{sub 3}, and ceramics were manufactured using a commercial sintering method. Then, the sinterability and the piezoelectric properties of the specimens containing varying amounts of Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3} were investigated. The microstructure demonstrated the typical abnormal grain growth tendencies with the addition of Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3}, and this was explained through changes in the critical driving force in the interface reaction-controlled nucleation and growth theory. When the specimen had been sintered at 1000 .deg. C for 4 hours in air after the addition of 1.5 mol% Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3}, the sintered body showed outstanding characteristics with a piezoelectric coefficient of 180 pC/N, an electromechanical coupling coefficient of 0.32, and a dielectric constant of 975. These results showed that eco-friendly niobate-based ceramics, whose use in applications was expected to be difficult in spite of their excellent properties, could be used to produce piezoelectric materials with outstanding properties through a commercial low-temperature sintering method using additives.

  11. Cylindrical Piezoelectric Fiber Composite Actuators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Sidney G.; Shams, Qamar A.; Fox, Robert L.

    2008-01-01

    The use of piezoelectric devices has become widespread since Pierre and Jacques Curie discovered the piezoelectric effect in 1880. Examples of current applications of piezoelectric devices include ultrasonic transducers, micro-positioning devices, buzzers, strain sensors, and clocks. The invention of such lightweight, relatively inexpensive piezoceramic-fiber-composite actuators as macro fiber composite (MFC) actuators has made it possible to obtain strains and displacements greater than those that could be generated by prior actuators based on monolithic piezoceramic sheet materials. MFC actuators are flat, flexible actuators designed for bonding to structures to apply or detect strains. Bonding multiple layers of MFC actuators together could increase force capability, but not strain or displacement capability. Cylindrical piezoelectric fiber composite (CPFC) actuators have been invented as alternatives to MFC actuators for applications in which greater forces and/or strains or displacements may be required. In essence, a CPFC actuator is an MFC or other piezoceramic fiber composite actuator fabricated in a cylindrical instead of its conventional flat shape. Cylindrical is used here in the general sense, encompassing shapes that can have circular, elliptical, rectangular or other cross-sectional shapes in the planes perpendicular to their longitudinal axes.

  12. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of percolative three-phase piezoelectric polymer composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundar, Udhay

    Three-phase piezoelectric bulk composites were fabricated using a mix and cast method. The composites were comprised of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), aluminum (Al) and an epoxy matrix. The volume fraction of the PZT and Al were varied from 0.1 to 0.3 and 0.0 to 0.17, respectively. The influences of three entities on piezoelectric and dielectric properties: inclusion of an electrically conductive filler (Al), poling process (contact and Corona) and Al surface treatment, were observed. The piezoelectric strain coefficient, d33, effective dielectric constant, epsilon r, capacitance, C, and resistivity were measured and compared according to poling process, volume fraction of constituent phases and Al surface treatment. The maximum values of d33 were 3.475 and 1.0 pC/N for Corona and contact poled samples respectively, for samples with volume fractions of 0.40 and 0.13 of PZT and Al (surface treated) respectively. Also, the maximum dielectric constant for the surface treated Al samples was 411 for volume fractions of 0.40 and 0.13 for PZT and Al respectively. The percolation threshold was observed to occur at an Al volume fraction of 0.13. The composites achieved a percolated state for Al volume fractions >0.13 for both contact and corona poled samples. In addition, a comparative time study was conducted to examine the influence of surface treatment processing time of Al particles. The effectiveness of the surface treatment, sample morphology and composition was observed with the aid of SEM and EDS images. These images were correlated with piezoelectric and dielectric properties. PZT-epoxy-aluminum thick films (200 mum) were also fabricated using a two-step spin coat deposition and annealing method. The PZT volume fraction were varied from 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4, wherein the Aluminum volume fraction was varied from 0.1 to 0.17 for each PZT volume fraction, respectively. The two-step process included spin coating the first layer at 500 RPM for 30 seconds, and the second

  13. Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Receivers with High Electromechanical Coupling PMN-32%PT Strip-Like Piezoelectric Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rymantas J. Kazys

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available For improvement of the efficiency of air-coupled ultrasonic transducers PMN-32%PT piezoelectric crystals which possess very high piezoelectric properties may be used. The electromechanical coupling factor of such crystals for all main vibration modes such as the thickness extension and transverse extension modes is more than 0.9. Operation of ultrasonic transducers with such piezoelectric elements in transmitting and receiving modes is rather different. Therefore, for transmission and reception of ultrasonic signals, separate piezoelectric elements with different dimensions must be used. The objective of this research was development of novel air-coupled ultrasonic receivers with PMN-32%PT strip-like piezoelectric elements vibrating in a transverse-extension mode with electromechanically controlled operation and suitable for applications in ultrasonic arrays. Performance of piezoelectric receivers made of the PMN-32%PT strip-like elements vibrating in this mode may be efficiently controlled by selecting geometry of the electrodes covering side surfaces of the piezoelectric element. It is equivalent to introduction of electromechanical damping which does not require any additional backing element. For this purpose; we have proposed the continuous electrodes to divide into two pairs of electrodes. The one pair is used to pick up the electric signal; another one is exploited for electromechanical damping. Two types of electrodes may be used—rectangular or non-rectangular—with a gap between them directed at some angle, usually 45°. The frequency bandwidth is wider (up to 9 kHz in the case of non-rectangular electrodes. The strip-like acoustic matching element bonded to the tip of the PMN-32%PT crystal may significantly enhance the performance of the ultrasonic receiver. It was proposed to use for this purpose AIREX T10.110 rigid polymer foam, the acoustic impedance of which is close to the optimal value necessary for matching with air. It was

  14. On the experimental determination of the efficiency of piezoelectric impact-type energy harvesters using a rotational flywheel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janphuang, P; Lockhart, R; Briand, D; De Rooij, N F; Henein, S

    2013-01-01

    This paper demonstrates a novel methodology using a rotational flywheel to determine the energy conversion efficiency of the impact based piezoelectric energy harvesters. The influence of the impact speed and additional proof mass on the efficiency is presented here. In order to convert low frequency mechanical oscillations into usable electrical energy, a piezoelectric harvester is coupled to a rotating gear wheel driven by flywheel. The efficiency is determined from the ratio of the electrical energy generated by the harvester to the mechanical energy dissipated by the flywheel. The experimental results reveal that free vibrations of the harvester after plucking contribute significantly to the efficiency. The efficiency and output energy can be greatly improved by adding a proof mass to the harvester. Under certain conditions, the piezoelectric harvesters have an impact energy conversion efficiency of 1.2%

  15. Three-dimensional dynamo-thermo-elastic analysis of a functionally graded cylindrical shell with piezoelectric layers by DQ-FD coupled

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akbari Alashti, R.; Khorsand, M.

    2012-01-01

    Three-dimensional elastic analysis is carried out for functionally graded cylindrical shells bonded with piezoelectric layers subjected to dynamic and thermal loads. Material properties are assumed to be graded in the radial direction obeying a simple power law with constant Poisson's ratio. Two versions of differential quadrature (DQ) method coupled with the finite difference (FD) method are employed to discretize the governing differential equations in space and time domains. The convergence is studied and results of the axisymmetric loadings are verified with reported results. Effects of the grading index of material properties, thermal gradient, boundary conditions, thickness of piezoelectric layers and electric excitation on stress, displacement, electric and temperature fields are presented. Highlights: ► Dynamo-thermo-elastic analysis of an FGM shell with piezoelectric layer is carried out. ► Governing equations are solved by DQ-FD coupled. ► Effects of grading index, temperature difference and piezoelectric thickness are presented.

  16. Development of High Performance Piezoelectric Polyimides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Joycelyn O.; St.Clair, Terry L.; Welch, Sharon S.

    1996-01-01

    In this work a series of polyimides are investigated which exhibit a strong piezoelectric response and polarization stability at temperatures in excess of 100 C. This work was motivated by the need to develop piezoelectric sensors suitable for use in high temperature aerospace applications.

  17. Microfabricated Bulk Piezoelectric Transformers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barham, Oliver M.

    Piezoelectric voltage transformers (PTs) can be used to transform an input voltage into a different, required output voltage needed in electronic and electro- mechanical systems, among other varied uses. On the macro scale, they have been commercialized in electronics powering consumer laptop liquid crystal displays, and compete with an older, more prevalent technology, inductive electromagnetic volt- age transformers (EMTs). The present work investigates PTs on smaller size scales that are currently in the academic research sphere, with an eye towards applications including micro-robotics and other small-scale electronic and electromechanical sys- tems. PTs and EMTs are compared on the basis of power and energy density, with PTs trending towards higher values of power and energy density, comparatively, indicating their suitability for small-scale systems. Among PT topologies, bulk disc-type PTs, operating in their fundamental radial extension mode, and free-free beam PTs, operating in their fundamental length extensional mode, are good can- didates for microfabrication and are considered here. Analytical modeling based on the Extended Hamilton Method is used to predict device performance and integrate mechanical tethering as a boundary condition. This model differs from previous PT models in that the electric enthalpy is used to derive constituent equations of motion with Hamilton's Method, and therefore this approach is also more generally applica- ble to other piezoelectric systems outside of the present work. Prototype devices are microfabricated using a two mask process consisting of traditional photolithography combined with micropowder blasting, and are tested with various output electri- cal loads. 4mm diameter tethered disc PTs on the order of .002cm. 3 , two orders smaller than the bulk PT literature, had the followingperformance: a prototype with electrode area ratio (input area / output area) = 1 had peak gain of 2.3 (+/- 0.1), efficiency of 33 (+/- 0

  18. Kirchhoff plate theory-based electromechanically-coupled analytical model considering inertia and stiffness effects of a surface-bonded piezoelectric patch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Heonjun; Youn, Byeng D; Kim, Heung Soo

    2016-01-01

    As a compact and durable design concept, piezoelectric energy harvesting skin (PEH skin) has been recently proposed for self-powered electronic device applications. This study aims to develop an electromechanically-coupled analytical model of PEH skin considering the inertia and stiffness effects of a piezoelectric patch. Based on Kirchhoff plate theory, Hamilton’s principle is used to derive the electromechanically-coupled differential equation of motion. Due to the geometric discontinuity of the piezoelectric patch, the Rayleigh–Ritz method is applied to calculate the natural frequency and corresponding mode shapes. The electrical circuit equation is derived from Gauss’s law. Output voltage is estimated by solving the equation of motion and electrical circuit equation, simultaneously. For the purpose of evaluating the predictive capability, the results of the electromechanically-coupled analytical model are compared with those of the finite element method in a hierarchical manner. The outstanding merits of the electromechanically-coupled analytical model of PEH skin are three-fold: (1) consideration of the inertia and stiffness effects of the piezoelectric patches; (2) physical parameterization between the two-dimensional mechanical configuration and piezoelectric transduction; (3) manipulability of the twisting modes of a cantilever plate with a small aspect ratio. (paper)

  19. Power enhancement of piezoelectric transformers by adding heat transfer equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yu-Hao; Liu, Yuan-Ping; Vasic, Dejan; Wu, Wen-Jong; Costa, François; Lee, Chih-Kung

    2012-10-01

    It is known that piezoelectric transformers have several inherent advantages compared with conventional electromagnetic transformers. However, the maximum power capacity of piezoelectric transformers is not as large as electromagnetic transformers in practice, especially in the case of high output current. The theoretical power density of piezoelectric transformers calculated by stress boundary can reach 330 W/cm(3), but no piezoelectric transformer has ever reached such a high power density in practice. The power density of piezoelectric transformers is limited to 33 W/cm(3) in practical applications. The underlying reason is that the maximum passing current of the piezoelectric material (mechanical current) is limited by the temperature rise caused by heat generation. To increase this current and the power capacity, we proposed to add a thermal pad to the piezoelectric transformer to dissipate heat. The experimental results showed that the proposed techniques can increase by 3 times the output current of the piezoelectric transformer. A theoretical-phenomenological model which explains the relationship between vibration velocity and generated heat is also established to verify the experimental results.

  20. Research on the parallel load sharing principle of a novel self-decoupled piezoelectric six-dimensional force sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ying-Jun; Yang, Cong; Wang, Gui-Cong; Zhang, Hui; Cui, Huan-Yong; Zhang, Yong-Liang

    2017-09-01

    This paper presents a novel integrated piezoelectric six-dimensional force sensor which can realize dynamic measurement of multi-dimensional space load. Firstly, the composition of the sensor, the spatial layout of force-sensitive components, and measurement principle are analyzed and designed. There is no interference of piezoelectric six-dimensional force sensor in theoretical analysis. Based on the principle of actual work and deformation compatibility coherence, this paper deduces the parallel load sharing principle of the piezoelectric six-dimensional force sensor. The main effect factors which affect the load sharing ratio are obtained. The finite element model of the piezoelectric six-dimensional force sensor is established. In order to verify the load sharing principle of the sensor, a load sharing test device of piezoelectric force sensor is designed and fabricated. The load sharing experimental platform is set up. The experimental results are in accordance with the theoretical analysis and simulation results. The experiments show that the multi-dimensional and heavy force measurement can be realized by the parallel arrangement of the load sharing ring and the force sensitive element in the novel integrated piezoelectric six-dimensional force sensor. The ideal load sharing effect of the sensor can be achieved by appropriate size parameters. This paper has an important guide for the design of the force measuring device according to the load sharing mode. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Shunted Piezoelectric Vibration Damping Analysis Including Centrifugal Loading Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Min, James B.; Duffy, Kirsten P.; Provenza, Andrew J.

    2011-01-01

    Excessive vibration of turbomachinery blades causes high cycle fatigue problems which require damping treatments to mitigate vibration levels. One method is the use of piezoelectric materials as passive or active dampers. Based on the technical challenges and requirements learned from previous turbomachinery rotor blades research, an effort has been made to investigate the effectiveness of a shunted piezoelectric for the turbomachinery rotor blades vibration control, specifically for a condition with centrifugal rotation. While ample research has been performed on the use of a piezoelectric material with electric circuits to attempt to control the structural vibration damping, very little study has been done regarding rotational effects. The present study attempts to fill this void. Specifically, the objectives of this study are: (a) to create and analyze finite element models for harmonic forced response vibration analysis coupled with shunted piezoelectric circuits for engine blade operational conditions, (b) to validate the experimental test approaches with numerical results and vice versa, and (c) to establish a numerical modeling capability for vibration control using shunted piezoelectric circuits under rotation. Study has focused on a resonant damping control using shunted piezoelectric patches on plate specimens. Tests and analyses were performed for both non-spinning and spinning conditions. The finite element (FE) shunted piezoelectric circuit damping simulations were performed using the ANSYS Multiphysics code for the resistive and inductive circuit piezoelectric simulations of both conditions. The FE results showed a good correlation with experimental test results. Tests and analyses of shunted piezoelectric damping control, demonstrating with plate specimens, show a great potential to reduce blade vibrations under centrifugal loading.

  2. Tailoring vibration mode shapes using topology optimization and functionally graded material concepts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubio, Wilfredo Montealegre; Paulino, Glaucio H; Silva, Emilio Carlos Nelli

    2011-01-01

    Tailoring specified vibration modes is a requirement for designing piezoelectric devices aimed at dynamic-type applications. A technique for designing the shape of specified vibration modes is the topology optimization method (TOM) which finds an optimum material distribution inside a design domain to obtain a structure that vibrates according to specified eigenfrequencies and eigenmodes. Nevertheless, when the TOM is applied to dynamic problems, the well-known grayscale or intermediate material problem arises which can invalidate the post-processing of the optimal result. Thus, a more natural way for solving dynamic problems using TOM is to allow intermediate material values. This idea leads to the functionally graded material (FGM) concept. In fact, FGMs are materials whose properties and microstructure continuously change along a specific direction. Therefore, in this paper, an approach is presented for tailoring user-defined vibration modes, by applying the TOM and FGM concepts to design functionally graded piezoelectric transducers (FGPT) and non-piezoelectric structures (functionally graded structures—FGS) in order to achieve maximum and/or minimum vibration amplitudes at certain points of the structure, by simultaneously finding the topology and material gradation function. The optimization problem is solved by using sequential linear programming. Two-dimensional results are presented to illustrate the method

  3. Energy Harvesting From Low Frequency Applications Using Piezoelectric Materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Huidong; Tian, Chuan; Deng, Zhiqun

    2014-11-06

    This paper reviewed the state of research on piezoelectric energy harvesters. Various types of harvester configurations, piezoelectric materials, and techniques used to improve the mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency were discussed. Most of the piezoelectric energy harvesters studied today have focused on scavenging mechanical energy from vibration sources due to their abundance in both natural and industrial environments. Cantilever beams have been the most studied structure for piezoelectric energy harvester to date because of the high responsiveness to small vibrations.

  4. Taking piezoelectric microsystems from the laboratory to production

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Raeder, H.; Tyholdt, F.; Booij, W.; Calame, F.; Ostbo, N.P.; Bredesen, R.; Prume, K.; Rijnders, Augustinus J.H.M.; Muralt, P.

    2007-01-01

    Reliable integration of piezoelectric thin films into silicon-based microsystems on an industrial scale is a key enabling technology for a wide range of future products. However, current knowledge in the field is mostly limited to the conditions and scale of academic laboratories. Thus, knowledge on

  5. Design and characterization of piezoelectric ultrasonic motors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yener, Serra

    This thesis presents modeling and prototype fabrication and characterization of new types of piezoelectric ultrasonic micromotors. Our approach in designing these piezoelectric motors was: (i) to simplify the structure including the poling configuration of piezoelectric elements used in the stator and (ii) to reduce the number of components in order to decrease the cost and enhance the driving reliability. There are two different types of piezoelectric motors designed throughout this research. The first of these designs consists of a metal tube, on which two piezoelectric ceramic plates poled in thickness direction, were bonded. Two orthogonal bending modes of the hollow cylinder were superimposed resulting in a rotational vibration. Since the structure and poling configuration of the active piezoelectric elements used in the stator are simple, this motor structure is very suitable for miniaturization. Moreover, a single driving source can excite two bending modes at the same time, thus generate a wobble motion. Three types of prototypes are included in this design. The piezoelectric stator structure is the same for all. However, the dimensions of the motors are reduced by almost 50 percent. Starting with a 10 mm long stator, we reached to 4 mm in the last prototype. The initial diameter was 2.4 mm, which was reduced to 1.6 mm. In the final design, the rotor part of the motor was changed resulting in the reduction in the number of components. In terms of driving circuit, a single driving source was enough to run the motors and a conventional switching power supply type resonant L-C circuit was used. A simple motor structure with a simple driving circuit were combined successfully and fabricated inexpensively. The second design is a shear type piezoelectric linear motor. The behavior of a single rectangular piezoelectric shear plate was analyzed and after optimizing the dimensions and the mode characteristics, a prototype was fabricated. The prototype consists of

  6. Piezoelectric polydimethylsiloxane films for MEMS transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Jhih-Jhe; Hsu, Tsung-Hsing; Yeh, Che-Nan; Tsai, Jui-Wei; Su, Yu-Chuan

    2012-01-01

    We have successfully demonstrated the fabrication of piezoelectric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films utilizing multilayer casting, stacking, surface coating and micro plasma discharge processes. To realize the desired electromechanical sensitivity, cellular PDMS structures with micrometer-sized voids are implanted with bipolar charges on the opposite inner surfaces. The implanted charge pairs function as dipoles, which respond promptly to diverse electromechanical stimulation. In the prototype demonstration, cellular PDMS films with various void geometries are fabricated and internally coated with a thin layer of polytetrafluoroethylene, which can help secure the implanted charges. An electric field up to 35 MV m −1 is applied across the fabricated PDMS films to ionize the air in the voids and to accelerate the resulting bipolar charges to bombard the opposite inner surfaces. The resulting charge-implanted, cellular PDMS films show a low effective elastic modulus (E) of about 500 kPa, and a piezoelectric coefficient (d 33 ) higher than 300 pC N −1 , which is more than ten times higher than those of common piezoelectric polymers (e.g. polyvinylidene fluoride). Furthermore, the piezoelectricity of the PDMS films can be tailored by adjusting the dimensions of the cellular structures. As such, the demonstrated piezoelectric PDMS films could potentially serve as flexible and sensitive electromechanical materials, and fulfill the needs of a variety of sensor and energy harvesting applications. (paper)

  7. Surface oxidation: an effective way to induce piezoelectricity in 2D black phosphorus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jiabin; Zhao, Ting; He, Chaoyu; Zhang, Kaiwang

    2018-03-01

    In this letter, first-principles methods are employed to investigate the elastic stiffness and piezoelectric tensors of surface-oxidized black phosphorene. Our results show that the piezoelectric coefficients d 11 and d 12 for surface-oxidized black phosphorene are 88.54 pm V-1 and  -1.94 pm V-1, respectively, which are comparable to those of group-IV monochalcogenides and more remarkable than those of the experimentally viable h-BN and MoS2. These results indicate that surface-oxidization is an effective way to make black phosphorene into an excellent piezoelectric material for potential applications in sensors, actuators, electric field generators and any other applications requiring electrical and mechanical energy conversion. We expect further experimental exploration on this interesting result to confirm our predictions.

  8. Dielectric loss against piezoelectric power harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Junrui; Shu-Hung Chung, Henry; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2014-09-01

    Piezoelectricity is one of the most popular electromechanical transduction mechanisms for constructing kinetic energy harvesting systems. When a standard energy harvesting (SEH) interface circuit, i.e., bridge rectifier plus filter capacitor, is utilized for collecting piezoelectric power, the previous literature showed that the power conversion can be well predicted without much consideration for the effect of dielectric loss. Yet, as the conversion power gets higher by adopting power-boosting interface circuits, such as synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI), the neglect of dielectric loss might give rise to deviation in harvested power estimation. Given the continuous progress on power-boosting interface circuits, the role of dielectric loss in practical piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) systems should receive attention with better evaluation. Based on the integrated equivalent impedance network model, this fast track communication provides a comprehensive study on the susceptibility of harvested power in PEH systems under different conditions. It shows that, dielectric loss always counteracts piezoelectric power harvesting by causing charge leakage across piezoelectric capacitance. In particular, taking corresponding ideal lossless cases as references, the counteractive effect might be aggravated under one of the five conditions: larger dielectric loss tangent, lower vibration frequency, further away from resonance, weaker electromechanical coupling, or using power-boosting interface circuit. These relationships are valuable for the study of PEH systems, as they not only help explain the role of dielectric loss in piezoelectric power harvesting, but also add complementary insights for material, structure, excitation, and circuit considerations towards holistic evaluation and design for practical PEH systems.

  9. Dielectric loss against piezoelectric power harvesting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, Junrui; Shu-Hung Chung, Henry; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2014-01-01

    Piezoelectricity is one of the most popular electromechanical transduction mechanisms for constructing kinetic energy harvesting systems. When a standard energy harvesting (SEH) interface circuit, i.e., bridge rectifier plus filter capacitor, is utilized for collecting piezoelectric power, the previous literature showed that the power conversion can be well predicted without much consideration for the effect of dielectric loss. Yet, as the conversion power gets higher by adopting power-boosting interface circuits, such as synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI), the neglect of dielectric loss might give rise to deviation in harvested power estimation. Given the continuous progress on power-boosting interface circuits, the role of dielectric loss in practical piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) systems should receive attention with better evaluation. Based on the integrated equivalent impedance network model, this fast track communication provides a comprehensive study on the susceptibility of harvested power in PEH systems under different conditions. It shows that, dielectric loss always counteracts piezoelectric power harvesting by causing charge leakage across piezoelectric capacitance. In particular, taking corresponding ideal lossless cases as references, the counteractive effect might be aggravated under one of the five conditions: larger dielectric loss tangent, lower vibration frequency, further away from resonance, weaker electromechanical coupling, or using power-boosting interface circuit. These relationships are valuable for the study of PEH systems, as they not only help explain the role of dielectric loss in piezoelectric power harvesting, but also add complementary insights for material, structure, excitation, and circuit considerations towards holistic evaluation and design for practical PEH systems. (fast track communications)

  10. Piezoelectrically and triboelectrically hybridized self-powered sensor with applications to smart window and human motion detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiin-Kuen Fuh

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we demonstrate a hybrid generator, derived from the concurrent adoption of piezoelectric and triboelectric mechanisms in one press-and-release cycle, called a Hybridized Self-Powered sensor (HSPS. A new integration of print circuit board (PCB technology-based piezoelectric generator (PG concurrently adopted the direct-write, near-field electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF nano/micro-fibers as piezoelectric source materials. On the other hand, triboelectric nanogenerators have the advantages of a high output performance with a simple structure which is also concurrently combined with the PG. The working mechanism of the HSPS includes the PCB-based substrate mounted with parallel aligned piezoelectric PVDF fibers in planar configuration which first bended and generated the electric potential via the effect of piezoelectricity. In what follows, the deformation of a cylindrical rolled-up piezoelectric structure is exercised, and finally, the triboelectric contact of Cu and PTFE layers is physically rubbed against each other with a separation to induce the triboelectric potential. This hybridized generator with a double domed shape design simultaneously combines piezoelectric output and triboelectric output and offers a built-in spacer with automatically spring back capability, which produces a peak output voltage of 100 V, a current of 4 μA, and a maximum power output of 450 nW. A self-powered smart window system was experimentally driven through finger-induced strain of HSPS, showing the optical properties with reversibly tunable transmittances. This research is a substantial advancement in the field of piezoelectric PVDF fibers integration toward the practical application of the whole self-powered system.

  11. Piezoelectrically and triboelectrically hybridized self-powered sensor with applications to smart window and human motion detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuh, Yiin-Kuen; Li, Shan-Chien; Chen, Chun-Yu

    2017-07-01

    In this paper, we demonstrate a hybrid generator, derived from the concurrent adoption of piezoelectric and triboelectric mechanisms in one press-and-release cycle, called a Hybridized Self-Powered sensor (HSPS). A new integration of print circuit board (PCB) technology-based piezoelectric generator (PG) concurrently adopted the direct-write, near-field electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nano/micro-fibers as piezoelectric source materials. On the other hand, triboelectric nanogenerators have the advantages of a high output performance with a simple structure which is also concurrently combined with the PG. The working mechanism of the HSPS includes the PCB-based substrate mounted with parallel aligned piezoelectric PVDF fibers in planar configuration which first bended and generated the electric potential via the effect of piezoelectricity. In what follows, the deformation of a cylindrical rolled-up piezoelectric structure is exercised, and finally, the triboelectric contact of Cu and PTFE layers is physically rubbed against each other with a separation to induce the triboelectric potential. This hybridized generator with a double domed shape design simultaneously combines piezoelectric output and triboelectric output and offers a built-in spacer with automatically spring back capability, which produces a peak output voltage of 100 V, a current of 4 μA, and a maximum power output of 450 nW. A self-powered smart window system was experimentally driven through finger-induced strain of HSPS, showing the optical properties with reversibly tunable transmittances. This research is a substantial advancement in the field of piezoelectric PVDF fibers integration toward the practical application of the whole self-powered system.

  12. Accurate measurement of the piezoelectric coefficient of thin films by eliminating the substrate bending effect using spatial scanning laser vibrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leighton, Glenn J T; Huang, Zhaorong

    2010-01-01

    One of the major difficulties in measuring the piezoelectric coefficient d 33,f for thin films is the elimination of the contribution from substrate bending. We show by theoretical analysis and experimental measurements that by bonding thin film piezoelectric samples to a substantial holder, the substrate bending can be minimized to a negligible level. Once the substrate bending can be effectively eliminated, single-beam laser scanning vibrometry can be used to measure the precise strain distribution of a piezoelectric thin film under converse actuation. A significant strain increase toward the inside edge of the top electrode (assuming a fully covered bottom electrode) and a corresponding strain peak in the opposite direction just outside the electrode edge were observed. These peaks were found to increase with the increasing Poisson's ratio and transverse piezoelectric coefficient of the piezoelectric thin film. This is due to the non-continuity of the electric field at the edge of the top electrode, which leads to the concentration of shear stress and electric field in the vicinity of the electrode edge. The measured d 33,f was found to depend not only on the material properties such as the electromechanical coefficients of the piezoelectric thin films and elastic coefficients of the thin film and the substrate, but also on the geometry factors such as the thickness of the piezoelectric films, the dimensions of the electrode, and also the thickness of the substrate

  13. Enhanced piezoelectricity of monolayer phosphorene oxides: a theoretical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Huabing; Zheng, Guang-Ping; Gao, Jingwei; Wang, Yuanxu; Ma, Yuchen

    2017-10-18

    Two-dimensional (2D) piezoelectric materials have potential applications in miniaturized sensors and energy conversion devices. In this work, using first-principles simulations at different scales, we systematically study the electronic structures and piezoelectricity of a series of 2D monolayer phosphorene oxides (POs). Our calculations show that the monolayer POs have tunable band gaps along with remarkable piezoelectric properties. The calculated piezoelectric coefficient d 11 of 54 pm V -1 in POs is much larger than those of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers and the widely used bulk α-quartz and AlN, and almost reaches the level of the piezoelectric effect in recently discovered 2D GeS. Furthermore, two other considerable piezoelectric coefficients, i.e., d 31 and d 26 with values of -10 pm V -1 and 21 pm V -1 , respectively, are predicted in some monolayer POs. We also examine the correlation between the piezoelectric coefficients and energy stability. The enhancement of piezoelectricity for monolayer phosphorene by oxidation will broaden the applications of phosphorene and phosphorene derivatives in nano-sized electronic and piezotronic devices.

  14. Piezoelectric coefficients and spontaneous polarization of ScAlN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caro, Miguel A; Laurila, Tomi; Zhang, Siyuan; Moram, Michelle A; Riekkinen, Tommi; Ylilammi, Markku; Molarius, Jyrki; Lopez-Acevedo, Olga

    2015-01-01

    We present a computational study of spontaneous polarization and piezoelectricity in Sc x Al 1−x N alloys in the compositional range from x = 0 to x = 0.5, obtained in the context of density functional theory and the Berry-phase theory of electric polarization using large periodic supercells. We report composition-dependent values of piezoelectric coefficients e ij , piezoelectric moduli d ij and elastic constants C ij . The theoretical findings are complemented with experimental measurement of e 33 for a series of sputtered ScAlN films carried out with a piezoelectric resonator. The rapid increase with Sc content of the piezoelectric response reported in previous studies is confirmed for the available data. A detailed description of the full methodology required to calculate the piezoelectric properties of ScAlN, with application to other complex alloys, is presented. In particular, we find that the large amount of internal strain present in ScAlN and its intricate relation with electric polarization make configurational sampling and the use of large supercells at different compositions necessary in order to accurately derive the piezoelectric response of the material. (paper)

  15. Characterization of a Piezoelectric Buzzer Using a Michelson Interferometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lloyd, S.; Paetkau, M.

    2010-01-01

    A piezoelectric material generates an electric potential across its surface when subjected to mechanical stress; conversely, the inverse piezoelectric effect describes the expansion or contraction of the material when subjected to some applied voltage. Piezoelectric materials are used in devices such as doorbell buzzers, barbeque igniters, and…

  16. Extrusion and properties of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cai, S.; Millar, C.E.; Pedersen, L.

    1997-01-01

    The purpose of this work was to develop a procedure for fabricating electroceramic actuators with good piezoelectric properties. The preparation of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic rods and tubes by extrusion processing is described. The microstructure of extrudates was investi......The purpose of this work was to develop a procedure for fabricating electroceramic actuators with good piezoelectric properties. The preparation of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic rods and tubes by extrusion processing is described. The microstructure of extrudates...

  17. Modal optimization and filtering in piezoelectric microplate resonators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez-Rojas, J L; Hernando, J; Donoso, A; Bellido, J C; Manzaneque, T; Ababneh, A; Seidel, H; Schmid, U

    2010-01-01

    A systematic design procedure to tailor the modal response of micro-resonators based on flexible plates with piezoelectric films is demonstrated. Sensors/actuators were designed by optimizing the surface electrode shapes in the plane dimensions. A numerical finite element procedure, which considers the effective surface electrode covering the piezoelectric film as a binary function on each element, has been implemented. Two design goals are considered: (i) optimized response (actuation or sensing) in a given mode; (ii) implementation of a modal transducer by filtering specific modes. For a given mode in a plate with arbitrary boundary conditions, our calculations allowed us to predict the top electrode layout reaching higher displacement in resonance than any other electrode design for the same structure. Microcantilevers and microbridges were fabricated and their modal response characterized by laser Doppler vibrometry. In comparison to a conventional square-shaped electrode, our experiments show that the implemented designs can increase the response in any desired resonant mode and simultaneously attenuate the contributions from other unwanted modes, by simply shaping the surface electrodes. Enhancement ratios as high as 42 dB, relative to a full-size electrode case, are demonstrated. The limitations imposed by the fabrication are also discussed.

  18. Development, Characterization and Piezoelectric Fatigue Behavior of Lead-Free Perovskite Piezoelectric Ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patterson, Eric Andrew

    Much recent research has focused on the development lead-free perovskite piezoelectrics as environmentally compatible alternatives to lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Two main categories of lead free perovskite piezoelectric ceramic systems were investigated as potential replacements to lead zirconate titanate (PZT) for actuator devices. First, solid solutions based on Li, Ta, and Sb modified (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (KNN) lead-free perovskite systems were created using standard solid state methods. Secondly, Bi-based materials a variety of compositions were explored for (1-x)(Bi 0.5Na0.5)TiO3-xBi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O 3 (BNT-BZT) and Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3-(Bi 0.5K0.5)TiO3-(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO 3 (BZT-BKT-BNT). It was shown that when BNT-BKT is combined with increasing concentrations of Bi(Zn1/2i1/2)O3 (BZT), a transition from normal ferroelectric behavior to a material with large electric field induced strains was observed. The higher BZT containing compositions are characterized by large hysteretic strains(> 0.3%) with no negative strains that might indicate domain switching. This work summarizes and analyzes the fatigue behavior of the new generation of Pb-free piezoelectric materials. In piezoelectric materials, fatigue is observed as a degradation in the electromechanical properties under the application of a bipolar or unipolar cyclic electrical load. In Pb-based materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), fatigue has been studied in great depth for both bulk and thin film applications. In PZT, fatigue can result from microcracking or electrode effects (especially in thin films). Ultimately, however, it is electronic and ionic point defects that are the most influential mechanism. Therefore, this work also analyzes the fatigue characteristics of bulk polycrystalline ceramics of the modified-KNN and BNT-BKT-BZT compositions developed. The defect chemistry that underpins the fatigue behavior will be examined and the results will be compared to the existing body of work on PZT. It will

  19. Piezoelectric properties of electrospun nanofibers of BaTiO3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carvalho, L.F.R.M.; Melo, G.F.; Goncalves, A.M.; Eiras, J.A.; Bretas, R.E.S.

    2016-01-01

    BaTiO3 nanofibers were produced by the electrospinning method from a mixture of a solution of the precursors Ba (CH_3COO)_2 and [(CH_3)_2CHO]_4Ti in acetic acid and a solution of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) in ethanol. A voltage of 10 kV and a working distance of 4.6 cm were used for the electrospinning, at controlled room temperature and humidity of 21 °C and 60% respectively. Nanofibers as spun were dried in air on an air-circulating oven at 100 °C for one hour to remove residual solvent and were subsequently calcined at 750 °C during 2 h. The morphology, crystallographic structure and piezoelectric properties of the nanofibers were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray angle (WAXS) and Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM), respectively. The average diameter of the nanofibers was 414 nm with an aspect ratio of 40. By PFM, there was strong evidence that the nanofibers had piezoelectric activity. (author)

  20. Effect of garment design on piezoelectricity harvesting from joint movement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Jin-Hee; Cho, Hyun-Seung; Park, Seon-Hyung; Song, Seung-Hwan; Yun, Kwang-Seok; Lee, Joo Hyeon

    2016-01-01

    The harvesting of piezoelectricity through the human body involves the conversion of mechanical energy, mostly generated by the repeated movements of the body, to electrical energy, irrespective of the time and location. In this research, it was expected that the garment design would play an important role in increasing the efficiency of piezoelectricity scavenged in a garment because the mechanical deformation imposed on the energy harvester could increase through an optimal design configuration for the garment parts supporting a piezoelectricity harvester. With this expectation, this research aimed to analyze the effect of the clothing factors, and that of human factors on the efficiency of piezoelectricity harvesting through clothing in joint movements. These analyses resulted in that the efficiency of the piezoelectricity harvesting was affected from both two clothing factors, tightness level depending upon the property of the textile material and design configuration of the garment part supporting the piezoelectricity harvesting. Among the three proposed designs of the garment part supporting the piezoelectricity harvesting, ‘reinforced 3D module design,’ which maximized the value of radius in the piezoelectricity harvester, showed the highest efficiency across all areas of the joints in the human body. The two human factors, frequency of movement and body part, affected the efficiency of the piezoelectricity harvesting as well. (paper)

  1. Biodegradable Piezoelectric Force Sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curry, Eli J; Ke, Kai; Chorsi, Meysam T; Wrobel, Kinga S; Miller, Albert N; Patel, Avi; Kim, Insoo; Feng, Jianlin; Yue, Lixia; Wu, Qian; Kuo, Chia-Ling; Lo, Kevin W-H; Laurencin, Cato T; Ilies, Horea; Purohit, Prashant K; Nguyen, Thanh D

    2018-01-30

    Measuring vital physiological pressures is important for monitoring health status, preventing the buildup of dangerous internal forces in impaired organs, and enabling novel approaches of using mechanical stimulation for tissue regeneration. Pressure sensors are often required to be implanted and directly integrated with native soft biological systems. Therefore, the devices should be flexible and at the same time biodegradable to avoid invasive removal surgery that can damage directly interfaced tissues. Despite recent achievements in degradable electronic devices, there is still a tremendous need to develop a force sensor which only relies on safe medical materials and requires no complex fabrication process to provide accurate information on important biophysiological forces. Here, we present a strategy for material processing, electromechanical analysis, device fabrication, and assessment of a piezoelectric Poly-l-lactide (PLLA) polymer to create a biodegradable, biocompatible piezoelectric force sensor, which only employs medical materials used commonly in Food and Drug Administration-approved implants, for the monitoring of biological forces. We show the sensor can precisely measure pressures in a wide range of 0-18 kPa and sustain a reliable performance for a period of 4 d in an aqueous environment. We also demonstrate this PLLA piezoelectric sensor can be implanted inside the abdominal cavity of a mouse to monitor the pressure of diaphragmatic contraction. This piezoelectric sensor offers an appealing alternative to present biodegradable electronic devices for the monitoring of intraorgan pressures. The sensor can be integrated with tissues and organs, forming self-sensing bionic systems to enable many exciting applications in regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and medical devices.

  2. Circuit for Driving Piezoelectric Transducers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randall, David P.; Chapsky, Jacob

    2009-01-01

    The figure schematically depicts an oscillator circuit for driving a piezoelectric transducer to excite vibrations in a mechanical structure. The circuit was designed and built to satisfy application-specific requirements to drive a selected one of 16 such transducers at a regulated amplitude and frequency chosen to optimize the amount of work performed by the transducer and to compensate for both (1) temporal variations of the resonance frequency and damping time of each transducer and (2) initially unknown differences among the resonance frequencies and damping times of different transducers. In other words, the circuit is designed to adjust itself to optimize the performance of whichever transducer is selected at any given time. The basic design concept may be adaptable to other applications that involve the use of piezoelectric transducers in ultrasonic cleaners and other apparatuses in which high-frequency mechanical drives are utilized. This circuit includes three resistor-capacitor networks that, together with the selected piezoelectric transducer, constitute a band-pass filter having a peak response at a frequency of about 2 kHz, which is approximately the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric transducers. Gain for generating oscillations is provided by a power hybrid operational amplifier (U1). A junction field-effect transistor (Q1) in combination with a resistor (R4) is used as a voltage-variable resistor to control the magnitude of the oscillation. The voltage-variable resistor is part of a feedback control loop: Part of the output of the oscillator is rectified and filtered for use as a slow negative feedback to the gate of Q1 to keep the output amplitude constant. The response of this control loop is much slower than 2 kHz and, therefore, does not introduce significant distortion of the oscillator output, which is a fairly clean sine wave. The positive AC feedback needed to sustain oscillations is derived from sampling the current through the

  3. Electromechanical displacement of piezoelectric-electrostrictive monolithic bilayer composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngernchuklin, P.; Akdoǧan, E. K.; Safari, A.; Jadidian, B.

    2009-02-01

    We examine the electromechanical displacement of piezoelectric-electrostrictive monolithic bilayer composites with various piezoelectric volume percentage obtained by cosintering piezoelectric 0.65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.35PbTiO3 and electrostrictive 0.9Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/.3)O3-0.1PbTiO3 under unipolar and bipolar electric field excitation up to 10 kV/cm experimentally. It is shown that the effective d33 of the composites is limited by the electrostrictive layer, which acts as a capacitor in series to the piezoelectric layer, causing incomplete poling. We show that by controlling the volume content of the piezoelectric layer and constraining it with an electrostrictor, substantial strain amplification (15 μm for bipolar excitation) can be achieved while inducing asymmetry to the displacement with respect to the polarity of the applied field, which we discuss in the context of symmetry superposition.

  4. A tone analyzer based on a piezoelectric polymer and organic thin film transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Yu-Jen; Kymissis, Ioannis

    2012-12-01

    A tone analyzer is demonstrated using a distributed resonator architecture on a tensioned piezoelectric polyvinyledene diuoride (PVDF) sheet. This sheet is used as both the resonator and detection element. Two architectures are demonstrated; one uses distributed, directly addressed elements as a proof of concept, and the other integrates organic thin film transistor-based transimpedance amplifiers directly with the PVDF to convert the piezoelectric charge signal into a current signal. The PVDF sheet material is instrumented along its length, and the amplitude response at 15 sites is recorded and analyzed as a function of the frequency of excitation. The determination of the dominant component of an incoming tone is demonstrated using linear system decomposition of the time-averaged response of the sheet and is performed without any time domain analysis. This design allows for the determination of the spectral composition of a sound using the mechanical signal processing provided by the amplitude response and eliminates the need for time-domain downstream signal processing of the incoming signal.

  5. Does the copolymer poly(vinylidene cyanide-tricyanoethylene) possess piezoelectricity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhi-Yin; Su, Ke-He; Xu, Qiong

    2012-10-01

    The geometry, energy, internal rotation barrier, dipole moment, and molecular polarizability of the α- and β-chain models of poly(vinylidene cyanide-tricyanoethylene) [P(VDCN-TrCN)] were studied with density functional theory at the B3PW91/6-31G(d) level. The effects of the chain length and the TrCN content on the copolymer chain stability, the chain conformation, and the electrical properties of P(VDCN-TrCN) were examined and compared with those of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and PVDCN to gauge whether P(VDCN-TrCN) would be expected to possess substantial piezoelectricity. The results of this study showed that the stability of the β conformation increases and the energy difference per monomer unit between the β- and α-chains decreases with increasing TrCN. However, introducing TrCN into VDCN will not significantly enhance the radius of curvature of the P(VDCN-TrCN) chains. The average dipole moment per monomer unit in the β-chain is affected by the chain curvature and the TrCN content. The amount of piezoelectricity present in P(VDCN-TrCN) is slightly smaller than that in PVDCN, and is less than that in poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene).

  6. Optimal design of robust piezoelectric unimorph microgrippers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ruiz, David; Díaz-Molina, Alex; Sigmund, Ole

    2018-01-01

    Topology optimization can be used to design piezoelectric actuators by simultaneous design of host structure and polarization profile. Subsequent micro-scale fabrication leads us to overcome important manufacturing limitations: difficulties in placing a piezoelectric layer on both top and bottom...

  7. State-of-the-art piezoelectric transformer-based switch mode power supplies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ekhtiari, Marzieh; Zhang, Zhe; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2014-01-01

    Inductorless switch mode power supplies based on piezoelectric transformers are used to replace conventional transformers in high power density switch mode power supplies. Even though piezoelectric-based converters exhibit a high d egree of nonlinearity, it is desirable to use piezoelectric transfo...... discusses power supplies with the trend evaluation of piezoelectric transformer-based converter topologies and control methods. The challenges of piezoelectric transformers regarding soft switching capability and nonlinearity are addressed. This paper can be used as a guideline f or choosing a proper...... topology of piezoelectric-based switch mode power supply and a control method for the required application....

  8. Low-Temperature Solution Processable Electrodes for Piezoelectric Sensors Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuukkanen, Sampo; Julin, Tuomas; Rantanen, Ville; Zakrzewski, Mari; Moilanen, Pasi; Lupo, Donald

    2013-05-01

    Piezoelectric thin-film sensors are suitable for a wide range of applications from physiological measurements to industrial monitoring systems. The use of flexible materials in combination with high-throughput printing technologies enables cost-effective manufacturing of custom-designed, highly integratable piezoelectric sensors. This type of sensor can, for instance, improve industrial process control or enable the embedding of ubiquitous sensors in our living environment to improve quality of life. Here, we discuss the benefits, challenges and potential applications of piezoelectric thin-film sensors. The piezoelectric sensor elements are fabricated by printing electrodes on both sides of unmetallized poly(vinylidene fluoride) film. We show that materials which are solution processable in low temperatures, biocompatible and environmental friendly are suitable for use as electrode materials in piezoelectric sensors.

  9. Progress in Dual (Piezoelectric-Magnetostrictive Phase Magnetoelectric Sintered Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rashed Adnan Islam

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The primary aims of this review article are (a to develop the fundamental understanding of ME behavior in perovskite piezoelectric-spinel magnetostrictive composite systems, (b to identify the role of composition, microstructural variables, phase transformations, composite geometry, and postsintering heat treatment on ME coefficient, and (c to synthesize, characterize, and utilize the high ME coefficient composite. The desired range of ME coefficient in the sintered composite is 0.5–1 V/cm⋅Oe. The studies showed that the soft piezoelectric phase quantified by smaller elastic modulus, large grain size of piezoelectric phase (~1 μm, and layered structures yields higher magnitude of ME coefficient. It is also found that postsintering thermal treatment such as annealing and aging alters the magnitude of magnetization providing an increase in the magnitude of ME coefficient. A trilayer composite was synthesized using pressure-assisted sintering with soft phase [0.9 PZT–0.1 PZN] having grain size larger than 1 μm and soft ferromagnetic phase of composition Ni0.8Cu0.2Zn0.2Fe2O4 [NCZF]. The composite showed a high ME coefficient of 412 and 494 mV/cm⋅Oe after sintering and annealing, respectively. Optimized ferrite to PZT thickness ratio was found to be 5.33, providing ME coefficient of 525 mV/cm⋅Oe. The ME coefficient exhibited orientation dependence with respect to applied magnetic field. Multilayering the PZT layer increased the magnitude of ME coefficient to 782 mV/cm⋅Oe. Piezoelectric grain texturing and nanoparticulate assembly techniques were incorporated with the layered geometry. It was found that with moderate texturing, d33 and ME coefficient reached up to 325 pC/N and 878 mV/cm⋅Oe, respectively. Nanoparticulate core shell assembly shows the promise for achieving large ME coefficient in the sintered composites. A systematic relationship between composition, microstructure, geometry, and properties is

  10. Performance of a piezoelectric energy harvester in actual rain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, Voon-Kean; Ho, Jee-Hou; Chai, Ai-Bao

    2017-01-01

    When raindrops impact on the surface of a piezoelectric beam, strain energy produced by the impinging raindrop will be converted to harvestable electrical energy by the piezoelectric layers in a cantilever beam. The novelty of this study is to investigate the performance of the harvester in actual rain and provide practical insights on implementation. The influences of rain parameters such as rain rate, rainfall depth, raindrop count, and drop size distribution (DSD) are discussed in this study. The raindrops accumulated on the surface of the piezoelectric beam will form a water layer. It is described using added mass coefficient in this study. In an actual rain experiment, a piezoelectric beam with surface area of 0.0018 m 2 is able to produce 2076 μJ of energy over a duration of 301 min. The energy generation of a raindrop impact piezoelectric energy harvester is highly dependent on the rain rate. Due to the inconsistency of the energy generation, the piezoelectric energy harvester would require an integration of suitable energy storage device for continuous operation. Nevertheless, this work shows the feasibility of harvesting raindrop energy using a piezoelectric beam. - Highlights: • The performance of a piezoelectric rain energy harvester is tested in actual rain. • The energy generation is highly dependent on the rain rate. • Practical insights on the implementation of the harvester are discussed. • A total energy of 2076 μJ is generated over a duration of 301 min.

  11. Human-computer interface glove using flexible piezoelectric sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Youngsu; Seo, Jeonggyu; Kim, Jun-Sik; Park, Jung-Min

    2017-05-01

    In this note, we propose a human-computer interface glove based on flexible piezoelectric sensors. We select polyvinylidene fluoride as the piezoelectric material for the sensors because of advantages such as a steady piezoelectric characteristic and good flexibility. The sensors are installed in a fabric glove by means of pockets and Velcro bands. We detect changes in the angles of the finger joints from the outputs of the sensors, and use them for controlling a virtual hand that is utilized in virtual object manipulation. To assess the sensing ability of the piezoelectric sensors, we compare the processed angles from the sensor outputs with the real angles from a camera recoding. With good agreement between the processed and real angles, we successfully demonstrate the user interaction system with the virtual hand and interface glove based on the flexible piezoelectric sensors, for four hand motions: fist clenching, pinching, touching, and grasping.

  12. Analytical, numerical, and experimental studies of viscoelastic effects on the performance of soft piezoelectric nanocomposites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jing; Zhu, Zhiren; Fang, Lichen; Guo, Shu; Erturun, Ugur; Zhu, Zeyu; West, James E; Ghosh, Somnath; Kang, Sung Hoon

    2017-09-28

    Piezoelectric composite (p-NC) made of a polymeric matrix and piezoelectric nanoparticles with conductive additives is an attractive material for many applications. As the matrix of p-NC is made of viscoelastic materials, both elastic and viscous characteristics of the matrix are expected to contribute to the piezoelectric response of p-NC. However, there is limited understanding of how viscoelasticity influences the piezoelectric performance of p-NC. Here we combined analytical and numerical analyses with experimental studies to investigate effects of viscoelasticity on piezoelectric performance of p-NC. The viscoelastic properties of synthesized p-NCs were controlled by changing the ratio between monomer and cross-linker of the polymer matrix. We found good agreement between our analytical models and experimental results for both quasi-static and dynamic loadings. It is found that, under quasi-static loading conditions, the piezoelectric coefficients (d 33 ) of the specimen with the lowest Young's modulus (∼0.45 MPa at 5% strain) were ∼120 pC N -1 , while the one with the highest Young's modulus (∼1.3 MPa at 5% strain) were ∼62 pC N -1 . The results suggest that softer matrices enhance the energy harvesting performance because they can result in larger deformation for a given load. Moreover, from our theoretical analysis and experiments under dynamic loading conditions, we found the viscous modulus of a matrix is also important for piezoelectric performance. For instance, at 40 Hz and 50 Hz the storage moduli of the softest specimen were ∼0.625 MPa and ∼0.485 MPa, while the loss moduli were ∼0.108 MPa and ∼0.151 MPa, respectively. As piezocomposites with less viscous loss can transfer mechanical energy to piezoelectric particles more efficiently, the dynamic piezoelectric coefficient (d' 33 ) measured at 40 Hz (∼53 pC N -1 ) was larger than that at 50 Hz (∼47 pC N -1 ) though it has a larger storage modulus. As an application of our findings

  13. A Low-Power CMOS Piezoelectric Transducer Based Energy Harvesting Circuit for Wearable Sensors for Medical Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taeho Oh

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric vibration based energy harvesting systems have been widely utilized and researched as powering modules for various types of sensor systems due to their ease of integration and relatively high energy density compared to RF, thermal, and electrostatic based energy harvesting systems. In this paper, a low-power CMOS full-bridge rectifier is presented as a potential solution for an efficient energy harvesting system for piezoelectric transducers. The energy harvesting circuit consists of two n-channel MOSFETs (NMOS and two p-channel MOSFETs (PMOS devices implementing a full-bridge rectifier coupled with a switch control circuit based on a PMOS device driven by a comparator. With a load of 45 kΩ, the output rectifier voltage and the input piezoelectric transducer voltage are 694 mV and 703 mV, respectably, while the VOUT versus VIN conversion ratio is 98.7% with a PCE of 52.2%. The energy harvesting circuit has been designed using 130 nm standard CMOS process.

  14. Determination of mass density, dielectric, elastic, and piezoelectric constants of bulk GaN crystal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soluch, Waldemar; Brzozowski, Ernest; Lysakowska, Magdalena; Sadura, Jolanta

    2011-11-01

    Mass density, dielectric, elastic, and piezoelectric constants of bulk GaN crystal were determined. Mass density was obtained from the measured ratio of mass to volume of a cuboid. The dielectric constants were determined from the measured capacitances of an interdigital transducer (IDT) deposited on a Z-cut plate and from a parallel plate capacitor fabricated from this plate. The elastic and piezoelectric constants were determined by comparing the measured and calculated SAW velocities and electromechanical coupling coefficients on the Z- and X-cut plates. The following new constants were obtained: mass density p = 5986 kg/m(3); relative dielectric constants (at constant strain S) ε(S)(11)/ε(0) = 8.6 and ε(S)(11)/ε(0) = 10.5, where ε(0) is a dielectric constant of free space; elastic constants (at constant electric field E) C(E)(11) = 349.7, C(E)(12) = 128.1, C(E)(13) = 129.4, C(E)(33) = 430.3, and C(E)(44) = 96.5 GPa; and piezoelectric constants e(33) = 0.84, e(31) = -0.47, and e(15) = -0.41 C/m(2).

  15. A review on one dimensional perovskite nanocrystals for piezoelectric applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-Qian Cheng

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, one-dimensional piezoelectric nanomaterials have become a research topic of interest because of their special morphology and excellent piezoelectric properties. This article presents a short review on one dimensional perovskite piezoelectric materials in different systems including Pb(Zr,TiO3, BaTiO3 and (K,NaNbO3 (KNN. We emphasize KNN as a promising lead-free piezoelectric compound with a high Curie temperature and high piezoelectric properties and describe its synthesis and characterization. In particular, details are presented for nanoscale piezoelectricity characterization of a single KNN nanocrystal by piezoresponse force microscopy. Finally, this review describes recent progress in applications based on one dimensional piezoelectric nanostructures with a focus on energy harvesting composite materials.

  16. Ab Initio Prediction of Piezoelectricity in Two-Dimensional Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blonsky, Michael N; Zhuang, Houlong L; Singh, Arunima K; Hennig, Richard G

    2015-10-27

    Two-dimensional (2D) materials present many unique materials concepts, including material properties that sometimes differ dramatically from those of their bulk counterparts. One of these properties, piezoelectricity, is important for micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems applications. Using symmetry analysis, we determine the independent piezoelectric coefficients for four groups of predicted and synthesized 2D materials. We calculate with density-functional perturbation theory the stiffness and piezoelectric tensors of these materials. We determine the in-plane piezoelectric coefficient d11 for 37 materials within the families of 2D metal dichalcogenides, metal oxides, and III-V semiconductor materials. A majority of the structures, including CrSe2, CrTe2, CaO, CdO, ZnO, and InN, have d11 coefficients greater than 5 pm/V, a typical value for bulk piezoelectric materials. Our symmetry analysis shows that buckled 2D materials exhibit an out-of-plane coefficient d31. We find that d31 for 8 III-V semiconductors ranges from 0.02 to 0.6 pm/V. From statistical analysis, we identify correlations between the piezoelectric coefficients and the electronic and structural properties of the 2D materials that elucidate the origin of the piezoelectricity. Among the 37 2D materials, CdO, ZnO, and CrTe2 stand out for their combination of large piezoelectric coefficient and low formation energy and are recommended for experimental exploration.

  17. Piezoelectric Composites by Solid Freeform Fabrication: A Nature-Inspired Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safari, A.; Akdoğan, E. K.

    Piezoelectrics and electrostrictors are indispensable materials for use in transducer technology, as they inherently possess both direct (sensing) and converse (actuation) effects. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive sensor converts a mechanical input (displacement or force) into a measurable electrical output through piezoelectric/electrostrictive energy conversion. In the case of a piezoelectric, an applied mechanical force (stress) induces a voltage across the terminals of the transducer. On the other hand, an applied mechanical force induces a change in the capacitance of an electrostrictive transducer that could be electrically detected. Hence, the mechanical to electrical energy conversion is accomplished directly when a piezoelectric is used, while the same is obtained indirectly if the electroactive material of choice is an electrostrictor. Conversely, both piezoelectric and electrostrictive materials develop an elastic strain under an applied electric field. The said elastic strain is linearly proportional to the applied field in a piezoelectric, whereas electrostrictive coupling involves the second-order (quadratic) coupling of electric field with elastic strain. While piezoelectricity is possible only in noncentrosymetric point groups, electrostriction is observed in all solids, which make it a much more general solid-state phenomenon. Sensing and actuation functions can coexist in a given transducer by the intelligent use of such materials. Piezoelectrics and electrostrictors, therefore, constitute the backbone of modern transducer technology, as mechanical to electric energy (and vice versa) conversion can be accomplished with great efficiency in a way that is second to none among all phenomena known to date [1,2].

  18. Electronically droplet energy harvesting using piezoelectric cantilevers

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud Al

    2012-01-01

    A report is presented on free falling droplet energy harvesting using piezoelectric cantilevers. The harvester incorporates a multimorph clamped-free cantilever which is composed of five layers of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric thick films. During the impact, the droplet kinetic energy is transferred into the form of mechanical stress forcing the piezoelectric structure to vibrate. Experimental results show energy of 0.3 μJ per droplet. The scenario of moderate falling drop intensity, i.e. 230 drops per second, yields a total energy of 400 μJ. © 2012 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

  19. A system identification approach to the characterization and control of a piezoelectric tube actuator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohammadzaheri, Morteza; Grainger, Steven; Bazghaleh, Mohsen

    2013-01-01

    This paper addresses the sensorless control of piezoelectric tube actuators to avoid the expense and practical limits of displacement sensors in nanopositioning applications. Three electrical signals have traditionally been used to estimate displacement: the piezoelectric voltage, the voltage induced in sensing electrodes and the voltage across a sensing resistor. In this work, the piezoelectric voltage was employed to estimate displacement; the use of this signal does not necessitate drift removal like the sensing voltage, and its superiority over the induced voltage is shown in this paper. The piezoelectric voltage is the actuating signal, so a feedforward architecture based on an inverse model is used for sensorless control. Inspired by internal model control (IMC), a filter together with the inverted model of the system, derived using system identification techniques, was used as the feedforward controller. The fixed-slope-input effect is illustrated as a prominent source of control error in tracking triangular references, then an additional nonlinear control command is proposed to address this effect and improve the control performance. (paper)

  20. Variational principles for nonlinear piezoelectric materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodriguez-Ramos, R.; Guinovart-Diaz, R. [Universidad de la Habana, Facultad de Matematica y Computacion, Vedado, Habana (Cuba); Pobedria, B.E. [Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov, Composites Department, Moscow (Russian Federation); Padilla, P. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Investigaciones en Matematicas Aplicadas y en Sistemas (IIMAS), Cd. Universitaria, Mexico D.F. (Mexico); Bravo-Castillero, J. [Universidad de la Habana, Facultad de Matematica y Computacion, Vedado, Habana (Cuba); Campus Estado de Mexico. Division de Arquitectura e Ingenieria, Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Atizapan de Zaragoza, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Maugin, G.A. [Universite Pierre et Marie Curie. Case 162, UMR 7607 CNRS, Laboratoire de Modelisation en Mecanique, Paris Cedex 05 (France)

    2004-12-01

    In the present paper, we consider the behavior of nonlinear piezoelectric materials by generalization for this case of the Hashin-Shtrikman variational principles. The new general formulation used here differs from others, because, it gives the possibility to evaluate the upper and lower Hashin-Shtrikman bounds for specific physical nonlinearities of piezoelectric materials. Geometrical nonlinearities are not considered. (orig.)

  1. Piezoelectric textured ceramics: Effective properties and application to ultrasonic transducers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levassort, Franck; Pham Thi, Mai; Hemery, Henry; Marechal, Pierre; Tran-Huu-Hue, Louis-Pascal; Lethiecq, Marc

    2006-12-22

    Piezoelectric textured ceramics obtained by homo-template grain growth (HTGG) were recently demonstrated. A simple model with several assumptions has been used to calculate effective parameters of these new materials. Different connectivities have been simulated to show that spatial arrangements between the considered phases have little influence on the effective parameters, even through the 3-0 connectivity delivers the highest electromechanical thickness factor. A transducer based on a textured ceramic sample has been fabricated and characterised to show the efficiency of these piezoelectric materials. Finally, in a single element transducer configuration, simulation shows an improvement of 2 dB sensitivity for a transducer made with textured ceramic in comparison with a similar transducer design based on standard soft PZT (at equivalent bandwidths).

  2. Propellant Flow Actuated Piezoelectric Igniter for Combustion Engines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wollen, Mark A. (Inventor)

    2018-01-01

    A propellant flow actuated piezoelectric igniter device using one or more hammer balls retained by one or more magnets, or other retaining method, until sufficient fluid pressure is achieved in one or more charging chambers to release and accelerate the hammer ball, such that it impacts a piezoelectric crystal to produce an ignition spark. Certain preferred embodiments provide a means for repetitively capturing and releasing the hammer ball after it impacts one or more piezoelectric crystals, thereby oscillating and producing multiple, repetitive ignition sparks. Furthermore, an embodiment is presented for which oscillation of the hammer ball and repetitive impact to the piezoelectric crystal is maintained without the need for a magnet or other retaining mechanism to achieve this oscillating impact process.

  3. Tailored piezoelectric thin films for energy harvester

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wan, X.

    2013-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials are excellent materials to transfer mechanical energy into electrical energy, which can be stored and used to power other devices. PiezoMEMS is a good way to combine silicon wafer processing and piezoelectric thin film technology and lead to a variety of miniaturized and

  4. Comparison of effective transverse piezoelectric coefficients e31,f of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films between direct and converse piezoelectric effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsujiura, Yuichi; Kawabe, Saneyuki; Kurokawa, Fumiya; Hida, Hirotaka; Kanno, Isaku

    2015-10-01

    We evaluated the effective transverse piezoelectric coefficients (e31,f) of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films from both the direct and converse piezoelectric effects of unimorph cantilevers. (001) preferentially oriented polycrystalline PZT thin films and (001)/(100) epitaxial PZT thin films were deposited on (111)Pt/Ti/Si and (001)Pt/MgO substrates, respectively, by rf-magnetron sputtering, and their piezoelectric responses owing to intrinsic and extrinsic effects were examined. The direct and converse |e31,f| values of the polycrystalline PZT thin films were calculated as 6.4 and 11.5-15.0 C/m2, respectively, whereas those of the epitaxial PZT thin films were calculated as 3.4 and 4.6-4.8 C/m2, respectively. The large |e31,f| of the converse piezoelectric property of the polycrystalline PZT thin films is attributed to extrinsic piezoelectric effects. Furthermore, the polycrystalline PZT thin films show a clear nonlinear piezoelectric contribution, which is the same as the Rayleigh-like behavior reported in bulk PZT. In contrast, the epitaxial PZT thin films on the MgO substrate show a piezoelectric response owing to the intrinsic and linear extrinsic effects, and no nonlinear contribution was observed.

  5. Piezoelectric actuation of helicopter rotor blades

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lieven, Nicholas A. J.

    2001-07-01

    The work presented in this paper is concerned with the application of embedded piezo-electric actuators in model helicopter rotor blades. The paper outlines techniques to define the optimal location of actuators to excite particular modes of vibration whilst the blade is rotating. Using composite blades the distribution of strain energy is defined using a Finite Element model with imposed rotor-dynamic and aerodynamics loads. The loads are specified through strip theory to determine the position of maximum bending moment and thus the optimal location of the embedded actuators. The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated on a 1/4 scale fixed cyclic pitch rotor head. Measurement of the blade displacement is achieved by using strain gauges. In addition a redundant piezo-electric actuator is used to measure the blades' response characteristics. The addition of piezo-electric devices in this application has been shown to exhibit adverse aeroelastic effects, such as counter mass balancing and increased drag. Methods to minimise these effects are suggested. The outcome of the paper is a method for defining the location and orientation of piezo-electric devices in rotor-dynamic applications.

  6. Enhanced active piezoelectric 0-3 nanocomposites fabricated through electrospun nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feenstra, Joel; Sodano, Henry A.

    2008-01-01

    The use of monolithic piezoceramic materials in sensing and actuation applications has become quite common over the past decade. However, these materials have several properties that limit their application in practical systems. These materials are very brittle due to the ceramic nature of the monolithic material, making them vulnerable to accidental breakage during handling and bonding procedures. In addition, they have very poor ability to conform to curved surfaces and result in large add-on mass associated with using a typically lead-based ceramic. These limitations have motivated the development of alternative methods of applying the piezoceramic material, including piezoceramic fiber composites and piezoelectric 0-3 composites (also known as piezoelectric paint). Piezoelectric paint is desirable because it can be spayed or painted on and can be used with abnormal surfaces. However, the piezoelectric paint developed in prior studies has resulted in low coupling, limiting its application. In order to increase the coupling of the piezoelectric paint, this effort has investigated the use of piezoelectric nanowires rather than spherical piezoelectric particle, which are difficult to strain when embedded in a polymer matrix. The piezoceramic wires were electrospun from a barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) sol gel to produce fibers with 500-1000 nm diameters and subsequently calcinated to acquire perovskite BaTiO 3 . An active nanocomposite paint was formed using the resulting piezoelectric wires and was compared to the same paint with piezoelectric nanoparticles. The results show that the piezoceramic wires produce 0-3 nanocomposites with as high as 300% increase in electromechanical coupling

  7. Nonlinear modeling, strength-based design, and testing of flexible piezoelectric energy harvesters under large dynamic loads for rotorcraft applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leadenham, Stephen; Erturk, Alper

    2014-04-01

    There has been growing interest in enabling wireless health and usage monitoring for rotorcraft applications, such as helicopter rotor systems. Large dynamic loads and acceleration fluctuations available in these environments make the implementation of vibration-based piezoelectric energy harvesters a very promising choice. However, such extreme loads transmitted to the harvester can also be detrimental to piezoelectric laminates and overall system reliability. Particularly flexible resonant cantilever configurations tuned to match the dominant excitation frequency can be subject to very large deformations and failure of brittle piezoelectric laminates due to excessive bending stresses at the root of the harvester. Design of resonant piezoelectric energy harvesters for use in these environments require nonlinear electroelastic dynamic modeling and strength-based analysis to maximize the power output while ensuring that the harvester is still functional. This paper presents a mathematical framework to design and analyze the dynamics of nonlinear flexible piezoelectric energy harvesters under large base acceleration levels. A strength-based limit is imposed to design the piezoelectric energy harvester with a proof mass while accounting for material, geometric, and dissipative nonlinearities, with a focus on two demonstrative case studies having the same linear fundamental resonance frequency but different overhang length and proof mass values. Experiments are conducted at different excitation levels for validation of the nonlinear design approach proposed in this work. The case studies in this work reveal that harvesters exhibiting similar behavior and power generation performance at low excitation levels (e.g. less than 0.1g) can have totally different strength-imposed performance limitations under high excitations (e.g. above 1g). Nonlinear modeling and strength-based design is necessary for such excitation levels especially when using resonant cantilevers with no

  8. Spontaneous high piezoelectricity in poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanoribbons produced by iterative thermal size reduction technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanik, Mehmet; Aktas, Ozan; Sen, Huseyin Sener; Durgun, Engin; Bayindir, Mehmet

    2014-09-23

    We produced kilometer-long, endlessly parallel, spontaneously piezoelectric and thermally stable poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) micro- and nanoribbons using iterative size reduction technique based on thermal fiber drawing. Because of high stress and temperature used in thermal drawing process, we obtained spontaneously polar γ phase PVDF micro- and nanoribbons without electrical poling process. On the basis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, we observed that PVDF micro- and nanoribbons are thermally stable and conserve the polar γ phase even after being exposed to heat treatment above the melting point of PVDF. Phase transition mechanism is investigated and explained using ab initio calculations. We measured an average effective piezoelectric constant as -58.5 pm/V from a single PVDF nanoribbon using a piezo evaluation system along with an atomic force microscope. PVDF nanoribbons are promising structures for constructing devices such as highly efficient energy generators, large area pressure sensors, artificial muscle and skin, due to the unique geometry and extended lengths, high polar phase content, high thermal stability and high piezoelectric coefficient. We demonstrated two proof of principle devices for energy harvesting and sensing applications with a 60 V open circuit peak voltage and 10 μA peak short-circuit current output.

  9. Eigenstates of coupling factor and loss factor of piezoelectric ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smits, J.G.

    1978-01-01

    A short history of piezoelectricity is given and its occurence in nature described. The physical background of piezoelectric loss is discussed together with how material coefficients like susceptibilities can be used to describe the relation between canonical variables and to determine the dissipation of energy. The piezoelectric coupling factor, the applications of the eigencoupling state, elastic and piezoelectric digenstates are dealt with. The composition of the measurement system is described and experimental values of ceramics given. (C.F.)

  10. Piezoelectricity of a ferroelectric liquid crystal with a glass transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jákli, A; Tóth-Katona, T; Scharf, T; Schadt, M; Saupe, A

    2002-07-01

    Pressure-electric (hydrostatic piezoelectric) measurements are reported on bookshelf textures of a ferroelectric smectic-C (Sm C*) liquid crystal with a glass transition. The continuous variation of a partially fluid state to the solid glass enables one to trace how the piezoelectric effect depends on the consistency of the material. It was observed that in the Sm C* samples with poled glass the piezoelectric constants are comparable to conventional piezoelectric crystals and poled piezoelectric polymers. This implies their application possibilities. The magnitude of the piezoelectric constant in the glassy state depends very much on the poling conditions. The studies indicate that there are two counteracting effects, which cancel each other out in the Sm C* phase near the glass transition. Our analysis indicates that the pressure-induced director tilt change has a dominating effect both in the fluid and the glassy Sm C* states.

  11. Fabrication and in vitro biological properties of piezoelectric bioceramics for bone regeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Yufei; Wu, Cong; Wu, Zixiang; Hu, Long; Zhang, Wei; Zhao, Kang

    2017-02-01

    The piezoelectric effect of biological piezoelectric materials promotes bone growth. However, the material should be subjected to stress before it can produce an electric charge that promotes bone repair and reconstruction conducive to fracture healing. A novel method for in vitro experimentation of biological piezoelectric materials with physiological load is presented. A dynamic loading device that can simulate the force of human motion and provide periodic load to piezoelectric materials when co-cultured with cells was designed to obtain a realistic expression of piezoelectric effect on bone repair. Hydroxyapatite (HA)/barium titanate (BaTiO3) composite materials were fabricated by slip casting, and their piezoelectric properties were obtained by polarization. The d33 of HA/BaTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics after polarization was 1.3 pC/N to 6.8 pC/N with BaTiO3 content ranging from 80% to 100%. The in vitro biological properties of piezoelectric bioceramics with and without cycle loading were investigated. When HA/BaTiO3 piezoelectric bioceramics were affected by cycle loading, the piezoelectric effect of BaTiO3 promoted the growth of osteoblasts and interaction with HA, which was better than the effect of HA alone. The best biocompatibility and bone-inducing activity were demonstrated by the 10%HA/90%BaTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics.

  12. Recent Progress on PZT Based Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min-Gyu Kang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Energy harvesting is the most effective way to respond to the energy shortage and to produce sustainable power sources from the surrounding environment. The energy harvesting technology enables scavenging electrical energy from wasted energy sources, which always exist everywhere, such as in heat, fluids, vibrations, etc. In particular, piezoelectric energy harvesting, which uses a direct energy conversion from vibrations and mechanical deformation to the electrical energy, is a promising technique to supply power sources in unattended electronic devices, wireless sensor nodes, micro-electronic devices, etc., since it has higher energy conversion efficiency and a simple structure. Up to now, various technologies, such as advanced materials, micro- and macro-mechanics, and electric circuit design, have been investigated and emerged to improve performance and conversion efficiency of the piezoelectric energy harvesters. In this paper, we focus on recent progress of piezoelectric energy harvesting technologies based on PbZrxTi1-xO3 (PZT materials, which have the most outstanding piezoelectric properties. The advanced piezoelectric energy harvesting technologies included materials, fabrications, unique designs, and properties are introduced to understand current technical levels and suggest the future directions of piezoelectric energy harvesting.

  13. Piezoelectricity in two dimensions: Graphene vs. molybdenum disulfide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xiaoxue; Hui, Fei; Knobloch, Theresia; Wang, Bingru; Fan, Zhongchao; Grasser, Tibor; Jing, Xu; Shi, Yuanyuan; Lanza, Mario

    2017-08-01

    The synthesis of piezoelectric two-dimensional (2D) materials is very attractive for implementing advanced energy harvesters and transducers, as these materials provide enormously large areas for the exploitation of the piezoelectric effect. Among all 2D materials, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has shown the largest piezoelectric activity. However, all research papers in this field studied just a single material, and this may raise concerns because different setups could provide different values depending on experimental parameters (e.g., probes used and areas analyzed). By using conductive atomic force microscopy, here we in situ demonstrate that the piezoelectric currents generated in MoS2 are gigantic (65 mA/cm2), while the same experiments in graphene just showed noise currents. These results provide the most reliable comparison yet reported on the piezoelectric effect in graphene and MoS2.

  14. Finger length ratio (2D:4D) in adults with gender identity disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraemer, Bernd; Noll, Thomas; Delsignore, Aba; Milos, Gabriella; Schnyder, Ulrich; Hepp, Urs

    2009-06-01

    From early childhood, gender identity and the 2nd to 4th finger length ratio (2D:4D) are discriminative characteristics between sexes. Both the human brain and 2D:4D may be influenced by prenatal testosterone levels. This calls for an examination of 2D:4D in patients with gender identity disorder (GID) to study the possible influence of prenatal testosterone on gender identity. Until now, the only study carried out on this issue suggests lower prenatal testosterone levels in right-handed male-to-female GID patients (MtF). We compared 2D:4D of 56 GID patients (39 MtF; 17 female-to-male GID patients, FtM) with data from a control sample of 176 men and 190 women. Bivariate group comparisons showed that right hand 2D:4D in MtF was significantly higher (feminized) than in male controls, but similar to female controls. The comparison of 2D:4D ratios of biological women revealed significantly higher (feminized) values for right hands of right handed FtM. Analysis of variance confirmed significant effects for sex and for gender identity on 2D:4D ratios but not for sexual orientation or for the interaction among variables. Our results indirectly point to the possibility of a weak influence of reduced prenatal testosterone as an etiological factor in the multifactorially influenced development of MtF GID. The development of FtM GID seems even more unlikely to be notably influenced by prenatal testosterone.

  15. Electrode-shaping for the excitation and detection of permitted arbitrary modes in arbitrary geometries in piezoelectric resonators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pulskamp, Jeffrey S; Bedair, Sarah S; Polcawich, Ronald G; Smith, Gabriel L; Martin, Joel; Power, Brian; Bhave, Sunil A

    2012-05-01

    This paper reports theoretical analysis and experimental results on a numerical electrode shaping design technique that permits the excitation of arbitrary modes in arbitrary geometries for piezoelectric resonators, for those modes permitted to exist by the nonzero piezoelectric coefficients and electrode configuration. The technique directly determines optimal electrode shapes by assessing the local suitability of excitation and detection electrode placement on two-port resonators without the need for iterative numerical techniques. The technique is demonstrated in 61 different electrode designs in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin film on silicon RF micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) plate, beam, ring, and disc resonators for out-of-plane flexural and various contour modes up to 200 MHz. The average squared effective electromechanical coupling factor for the designs was 0.54%, approximately equivalent to the theoretical maximum value of 0.53% for a fully electroded length-extensional mode beam resonator comprised of the same composite. The average improvement in S(21) for the electrode-shaped designs was 14.6 dB with a maximum improvement of 44.3 dB. Through this piezoelectric electrodeshaping technique, 95% of the designs showed a reduction in insertion loss.

  16. Piezoelectric MEMS sensors: state-of-the-art and perspectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tadigadapa, S; Mateti, K

    2009-01-01

    Over the past two decades, several advances have been made in micromachined sensors and actuators. As the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has advanced, a clear need for the integration of materials other than silicon and its compounds into micromachined transducers has emerged. Piezoelectric materials are high energy density materials that scale very favorably upon miniaturization and that has led to an ever-growing interest in piezoelectric films for MEMS applications. At this time, piezoelectric aluminum-nitride-based film bulk acoustic resonators (FBAR) have already been successfully commercialized. Future innovations and improvements in inertial sensors for navigation, high-frequency crystal oscillators and filters for wireless applications, microactuators for RF applications, chip-scale chemical analysis systems and countless other applications hinge upon the successful miniaturization of components and integration of piezoelectrics and metals into these systems. In this article, a comprehensive review of micromachined piezoelectric transducer technology will be presented. Piezoelectric materials in bulk and thin film forms will be reviewed and fabrication techniques for the integration of these materials for microsensor applications will be presented. Recent advances in various piezoelectric microsensors will be presented through specific examples. This review will conclude with a critical assessment of the future trends and promise of this technology. (topical review)

  17. Piezoelectric Nanotube Array for Broadband High-Frequency Ultrasonic Transducer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liew, Weng Heng; Yao, Kui; Chen, Shuting; Tay, Francis Eng Hock

    2018-03-01

    Piezoelectric materials are vital in determining ultrasonic transducer and imaging performance as they offer the function for conversion between mechanical and electrical energy. Ultrasonic transducers with high-frequency operation suffer from performance degradation and fabrication difficulty of the demanded piezoelectric materials. Hence, we propose 1-D polymeric piezoelectric nanostructure with controlled nanoscale features to overcome the technical limitations of high-frequency ultrasonic transducers. For the first time, we demonstrate the integration of a well-aligned piezoelectric nanotube array to produce a high-frequency ultrasonic transducer with outstanding performance. We find that nanoconfinement-induced polarization orientation and unique nanotube structure lead to significantly improved piezoelectric and ultrasonic transducing performance over the conventional piezoelectric thin film. A large bandwidth, 126% (-6 dB), is achieved at high center frequency, 108 MHz. Transmission sensitivity of nanotube array is found to be 46% higher than that of the monolithic thin film transducer attributed to the improved electromechanical coupling effectiveness and impedance match. We further demonstrate high-resolution scanning, ultrasonic imaging, and photoacoustic imaging using the obtained nanotube array transducers, which is valuable for biomedical imaging applications in the future.

  18. Hysteresis compensation for piezoelectric actuators in single-point diamond turning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haifeng; Hu, Dejin; Wan, Daping; Liu, Hongbin

    2006-02-01

    In recent years, interests have been growing for fast tool servo (FTS) systems to increase the capability of existing single-point diamond turning machines. Although piezoelectric actuator is the most universal base of FTS system due to its high stiffness, accuracy and bandwidth, nonlinearity in piezoceramics limits both the static and dynamic performance of piezoelectric-actuated control systems evidently. To compensate the nonlinear hysteresis behavior of piezoelectric actuators, a hybrid model coupled with Preisach model and feedforward neural network (FNN) has been described. Since the training of FNN does not require a special calibration sequence, it is possible for on-line identification and real-time implementation with general operating data of a specific piezoelectric actuator. To describe the rate dependent behavior of piezoelectric actuators, a hybrid dynamic model was developed to predict the response of piezoelectric actuators in a wider range of input frequency. Experimental results show that a maximal error of less than 3% was accomplished by this dynamic model.

  19. All-solution-processed flexible thin film piezoelectric nanogenerator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Sung Yun; Kim, Sunyoung; Kim, Kyongjun [Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ju-Hyuck; Kim, Sang-Woo [SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Chong-Yun; Yoon, Seok-Jin [Electronic Materials Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Youn Sang [Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, 864-1 Iui-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 443-270 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-11-27

    An all-solution-processed flexible thin film piezoelectric nanogenerator is demonstrated using reactive zinc hydroxo-condensation and a screen-printing method. The highly elastic thin film allows the piezoelectric energy to be generated through the mechanical rolling and muscle stretching of the piezoelectric unit. This flexible all solution-processed nanogenerator is promising for use in future energy harvesters such as wearable human patches and mobile electronics. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  20. Piezoelectric materials involved in road traffic applications test system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vazquez Rodriguez, M.; Jimenez Martinez, F.; Frutos, J. de

    2011-01-01

    The test bench system described in this paper performs experiments on piezoelectric materials used in road traffic applications, covering a range between 14 and 170 km/h, which is considered enough for testing under standard traffic conditions. A software has been developed to control the three phase induction motor driver and to acquire all the measurement data of the piezoelectric materials. The mass over each systems axis can be selected, with a limit of 60 kg over each wheel. The test bench is used to simulate the real behaviour of buried piezoelectric cables in road traffic applications for both light and heavy vehicles. This new test bed system is a powerful research tool and can be applied to determine the optimal installation and configuration of the piezoelectric cable sensors and opens a new field of research: the study of energy harvesting techniques based on piezoelectric materials. (Author) 10 refs.

  1. Low-energy impact of adaptive cylindrical piezoelectric-composite shells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saravanos, D.A. [University of Patras (United Kingdom). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics; Christoforou, A.P. [Kuwait Univ. (Kuwait). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

    2002-04-01

    A theoretical framework for analyzing low-energy impacts of laminated shells with active and sensory piezoelectric layers is presented, including impactor dynamics and contact law. The formulation encompasses a coupled piezoelectric shell theory mixing first order shear displacement assumptions and layerwise variation of electric potential. An exact in-plane Ritz solution for the impact of open cylindrical piezoelectric-composite shells is developed and solved numerically using an explicit time integration scheme. The active impact control problem of adaptive cylindrical shells with distributed curved piezoelectric actuators is addressed. The cases of optimized state feedback controllers and output feedback controllers using piezoelectric sensors are analyzed. Numerical results quantify the impact response of cylindrical shells of various curvatures including the signal of curved piezoelectric sensors. Additional numerical studies quantify the impact response of adaptive cylindrical panels and investigate the feasibility of actively reducing the impact force. (author)

  2. Electronically droplet energy harvesting using piezoelectric cantilevers

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud Al; Jabbour, Ghassan E.

    2012-01-01

    A report is presented on free falling droplet energy harvesting using piezoelectric cantilevers. The harvester incorporates a multimorph clamped-free cantilever which is composed of five layers of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric thick films

  3. Advances in Piezoelectric Systems: An Application-Based Approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel

    with their low manufacturing costs and high robustness has enabled wide-spread usage in applications ranging from simple spark lighters or pressure sensors to much more complicated energy harvesting systems and piezoelectric transformers. One governing property of piezoelectric devices is the existence....... These three distinct behaviors encountered in any piezoelectric device represents the ba- sis of discussion in the thesis. Therefore the present PhD dissertation is an application-based approach to researching all three behaviors individually, while nding solutions to the challenges encountered along the way...... bidirectional operation of a self-oscillating converter. Feasibility of using the converter in an MRI scanner is demonstrated. The third and nal behavior researched is the resistive behavior. This is widely encountered since most piezoelectric motors, ultrasonic baths and some energy harvesting systems operate...

  4. System and Method for Monitoring Piezoelectric Material Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moses, Robert W. (Inventor); Fox, Christopher L. (Inventor); Fox, Melanie L. (Inventor); Chattin, Richard L. (Inventor); Shams, Qamar A. (Inventor); Fox, Robert L. (Inventor)

    2007-01-01

    A system and method are provided for monitoring performance capacity of a piezoelectric material that may form part of an actuator or sensor device. A switch is used to selectively electrically couple an inductor to the piezoelectric material to form an inductor-capacitor circuit. Resonance is induced in the inductor-capacitor circuit when the switch is operated to create the circuit. The resonance of the inductor-capacitor circuit is monitored with the frequency of the resonance being indicative of performance capacity of the device's piezoelectric material.

  5. Relation of the external mechanical stress to the properties of piezoelectric materials for energy harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Soon-Jong; Kim, Min-Soo; Lee, Dae-Su; Song, Jae-Sung; Cho, Kyung-Ho

    2013-12-01

    We investigated the piezoelectric properties and the generation of voltage and power under the mechanical compressive loads for three types of piezoelectric ceramics 0.2Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.8Pb(Zr0.475Ti0.525)O3 (soft-PZT), 0.1Pb(Mg1/3Sb2/3)O3- 0.9Pb(Zr0.475Ti0.525)O3 (hard-PZT) and [0.675Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.35PbTiO3]+5 wt% BaTiO3 (textured-PMNT). The piezoelectric d 33 coefficients of all specimens increased with increasing compressive load. The generated voltage and power showed a linear relation and square relation to the applied stress, respectively. These results were larger than those calculated using the simple piezoelectric equation due to the non-linear characteristics of the ceramics, so they were evaluated with a simple model based on a non-linear relation.

  6. Electromechanical-Traffic Model of Compression-Based Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kok B.C.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric energy harvesting has advantages over other alternative sources due to its large power density, ease of applications, and capability to be fabricated at different scales: macro, micro, and nano. This paper presents an electromechanical-traffic model for roadway compression-based piezoelectric energy harvesting system. A two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF electromechanical model has been developed for the piezoelectric energy harvesting unit to define its performance in power generation under a number of external excitations on road surface. Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT-5H is selected as the piezoelectric material to be used in this paper due to its high Piezoelectric Charge Constant (d and Piezoelectric Voltage Constant (g values. The main source of vibration energy that has been considered in this paper is the moving vehicle on the road. The effect of various frequencies on possible generated power caused by different vibration characteristics of moving vehicle has been studied. A single unit of circle-shape Piezoelectric Cymbal Transducer (PCT with diameter of 32 mm and thickness of 0.3 mm be able to generate about 0.12 mW and 13 mW of electric power under 4 Hz and 20 Hz of excitation, respectively. The estimated power to be generated for multiple arrays of PCT is approximately 150 kW/ km. Thus, the developed electromechanical-traffic model has enormous potential to be used in estimating the macro scale of roadway power generation system.

  7. BIOMINERALOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF APATITE PIEZOELECTRICITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Pawlikowski

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Investigation of apatite piezoelectricity was conducted in order to assess piezoelectric properties of bone. In the first stage, mineralogical analysis of different apatite crystals, regarding their purity and fitness for the experiments was performed. After the crystals had been chosen, 0.8 mm-thick plates were cut, perpendicular and parallel to the crystallographic Z axis. The plates were then polished and dusted with gold. Electrodes were attached to the opposite surfaces of the plates with conductive glue. So prepared plates were hooked up to the EEG machine used for measuring electrical activity in the brain. The plates were then gently tapped to observe and register currents generated in them. Acquired data was processed by subtracting from the resulting graphs those generated by a hand movement, without tapping the plate. Results indicate that apatite plates have weak piezoelectric properties. Observed phenomenon may be translated to bone apatite, which would explain, at least partially, piezoelectric properties of bone. Acquired results suggest that there is a relation between the mechanical workload of bones (bone apatite and theirelectrical properties. Considering the massive internal surface of bones, they may be treated as a kind of internal “antenna” reacting not only to mechanical stimuli, but to changes in electromagnetic field as well. Observed phenomena no doubt significantly influence the biological processes occurring in bones and the whole human body.

  8. Piezoelectric peptide-based nanogenerator enhanced by single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vu Nguyen

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Peptide has recently been demonstrated as a sustainable and smart material for piezoelectric energy conversion. Although the power output was improved compared to other biomaterials, the use of a piezoelectric device alone can only capture the energy from the minute deformation in materials. In comparison, the triboelectric effect can convert mechanical energy from large motion. Consequently, utilizing both piezoelectric and triboelectric effects is of significant research interest due to their complementary energy conversion mechanisms. Here we demonstrated a hybrid nanogenerator that combined a peptide-based piezoelectric nanogenerator with a single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator. Our device structure enabled the voltage and current outputs of each individual type of nanogenerator to be superposed in the hybrid nanogenerator, producing overall constructive outputs. The design of our device also enabled a simplified configuration of hybrid nanogenerator. This study is important not only for the enhancement of peptide-based piezoelectric device but also for the future design of hybrid piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators.

  9. Polarization and Piezoelectric Properties of a Nitrile Substituted Polyimide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Joycelyn; Ounaies, Zoubeida; Fay, Catharine

    1997-01-01

    This research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of a piezoelectric (beta-CN)- APB/ODPA polyimide. The remanent polarization and piezoelectric d(sub 31) and g(sub 33) coefficients are reported to assess the effect of synthesis variations. Each of the materials exhibits a level of piezoelectricity which increases with temperature. The remanent polarization is retained at temperatures close to the glass transition temperature of the polyimide.

  10. Piezoelectric properties and thermal stabilities of cobalt-modified potassium bismuth titanate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Zhen-Lei; Wang, Chun-Ming; Zhao, Tian-Long; Yu, Si-Long; Cao, Zhao-Peng

    2013-01-01

    The cobalt-modified potassium bismuth titanate (K 0.5 Bi 4.5 Ti 4 O 15 , KBT) piezoelectric ceramics have been prepared using conventional solid–state reaction. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the cobalt-modified KBT ceramics have a pure four-layer (m = 4) Aurivillius-type structure. The dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of cobalt-modified KBT ceramics were investigated in detail. The piezoelectric activities of KBT ceramics were significantly improved by the cobalt modification. The reasons for piezoelectric activities enhancement with cobalt modification were given. The piezoelectric coefficient d 33 and Curie temperature T c for the 5 mol% cobalt-modified KBT ceramics (KBT-Co5) were found to be 28 pC/N and 575 °C, respectively. The DC resistivity, frequency constants (N p and N t ), and electromechanical properties at elevated temperature were investigated, indicating the cobalt-modified KBT piezoelectric ceramics possess stable piezoelectric properties up to 500 °C. The results show the cobalt-modified KBT ceramics are potential materials for high temperature piezoelectric applications. - Highlights: • We examine the piezoelectric properties of the cobalt-modified K 0.5 Bi 4.5 Ti 4 O 15 . • A high level of piezoelectric activities (d 33 = 28 pC/N) are obtained. • High Curie temperature (T c = 575 °C) is acquired for the optimal composition. • The Co-modified K 0.5 Bi 4.5 Ti 4 O 15 is promising as high temperature materials

  11. Study on the sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Shuyu; Tian Hua

    2008-01-01

    A sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration is studied. The transducer consists of front and back metal masses, and coaxially segmented, thickness polarized piezoelectric ceramic thin rings. For this kind of sandwich piezoelectric transducers in thickness vibration, it is required that the lateral dimension of the transducer is sufficiently large compared with its longitudinal dimension so that no lateral displacements in the transducer can occur (laterally clamped). In this paper, the thickness vibration of the piezoelectric ceramic stack consisting of a number of identical piezoelectric ceramic thin rings is analysed and its electro-mechanical equivalent circuit is obtained. The resonance frequency equation for the sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration is derived. Based on the frequency equation, two sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducers are designed and manufactured, and their resonance frequencies are measured. It is shown that the measured resonance frequencies are in good agreement with the theoretical results. This kind of sandwich piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer is expected to be used in megasonic ultrasonic cleaning and sonochemistry where high power and high frequency ultrasound is needed

  12. Cellulose Nanofibril Film as a Piezoelectric Sensor Material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajala, Satu; Siponkoski, Tuomo; Sarlin, Essi; Mettänen, Marja; Vuoriluoto, Maija; Pammo, Arno; Juuti, Jari; Rojas, Orlando J; Franssila, Sami; Tuukkanen, Sampo

    2016-06-22

    Self-standing films (45 μm thick) of native cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) were synthesized and characterized for their piezoelectric response. The surface and the microstructure of the films were evaluated with image-based analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The measured dielectric properties of the films at 1 kHz and 9.97 GHz indicated a relative permittivity of 3.47 and 3.38 and loss tangent tan δ of 0.011 and 0.071, respectively. The films were used as functional sensing layers in piezoelectric sensors with corresponding sensitivities of 4.7-6.4 pC/N in ambient conditions. This piezoelectric response is expected to increase remarkably upon film polarization resulting from the alignment of the cellulose crystalline regions in the film. The CNF sensor characteristics were compared with those of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as reference piezoelectric polymer. Overall, the results suggest that CNF is a suitable precursor material for disposable piezoelectric sensors, actuators, or energy generators with potential applications in the fields of electronics, sensors, and biomedical diagnostics.

  13. Electromechanical Modeling of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

    OpenAIRE

    Erturk, Alper

    2009-01-01

    Vibration-based energy harvesting has been investigated by several researchers over the last decade. The ultimate goal in this research field is to power small electronic components (such as wireless sensors) by using the vibration energy available in their environment. Among the basic transduction mechanisms that can be used for vibration-to-electricity conversion, piezoelectric transduction has received the most attention in the literature. Piezoelectric materials are preferred in energy ha...

  14. Critical Role of Monoclinic Polarization Rotation in High-Performance Perovskite Piezoelectric Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hui; Chen, Jun; Fan, Longlong; Ren, Yang; Pan, Zhao; Lalitha, K V; Rödel, Jürgen; Xing, Xianran

    2017-07-07

    High-performance piezoelectric materials constantly attract interest for both technological applications and fundamental research. The understanding of the origin of the high-performance piezoelectric property remains a challenge mainly due to the lack of direct experimental evidence. We perform in situ high-energy x-ray diffraction combined with 2D geometry scattering technology to reveal the underlying mechanism for the perovskite-type lead-based high-performance piezoelectric materials. The direct structural evidence reveals that the electric-field-driven continuous polarization rotation within the monoclinic plane plays a critical role to achieve the giant piezoelectric response. An intrinsic relationship between the crystal structure and piezoelectric performance in perovskite ferroelectrics has been established: A strong tendency of electric-field-driven polarization rotation generates peak piezoelectric performance and vice versa. Furthermore, the monoclinic M_{A} structure is the key feature to superior piezoelectric properties as compared to other structures such as monoclinic M_{B}, rhombohedral, and tetragonal. A high piezoelectric response originates from intrinsic lattice strain, but little from extrinsic domain switching. The present results will facilitate designing high-performance perovskite piezoelectric materials by enhancing the intrinsic lattice contribution with easy and continuous polarization rotation.

  15. Modeling of a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic nano energy harvester based on two dimensional theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Zhi

    2018-01-01

    This work presents a two dimensional theory for a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic bilayer nanoplate in coupled extensional and flexural vibrations with both flexoelectric and surface effects. The magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) coupling equations are derived from three-dimensional equations and Kirchhoff plate theory. Based on the developed theory, a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic nano energy harvester is proposed, which can generate electricity under time-harmonic applied magnetic field. The approximate solutions for the mechanical responses and voltage of the energy harvester are obtained using the weighted residual method. Results show that the properties of the proposed energy harvester are size-dependent due to the flexoelectric and surface effects, and such effects are more pronounced when the bilayer thickness is reduced to dozens of nanometers. It is also found that the magnetoelectric coupling coefficient and power density of the energy harvester are sensitive to the load resistance, the thickness fraction of the piezoelectric or the piezomagnetic layer and damping ratios. Moreover, results indicate that the flexoelectric effect could be made use to build a dielectric/piezomagnetic nano energy harvester. This work provides modeling techniques and numerical methods for investigating the size-dependent properties of MEE nanoplate-based energy harvester and could be helpful for designing nano energy harvesters using the principle of flexoelectricity.

  16. Early-to-mid gestation fetal testosterone increases right hand 2D:4D finger length ratio in polycystic ovary syndrome-like monkeys.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew D Abbott

    Full Text Available A smaller length ratio for the second relative to the fourth finger (2D:4D is repeatedly associated with fetal male-typical testosterone (T and is implicated as a biomarker for a variety of traits and susceptibility to a number of diseases, but no experimental human studies have been performed. The present study utilizes the rhesus monkey, a close relative of humans, and employs discrete gestational exposure of female monkeys to fetal male-typical T levels for 15-35 days during early-to-mid (40-76 days; n = 7 or late (94-139 days; n = 7 gestation (term: 165 days by daily subcutaneous injection of their dams with 10 mg T propionate. Such gestational exposures are known to enhance male-typical behavior. In this study, compared to control females (n = 19, only early-to-mid gestation T exposure virilizes female external genitalia while increasing 2D:4D ratio in the right hand (RH by male-like elongation of RH2D. RH2D length and 2D:4D positively correlate with androgen-dependent anogenital distance (AG, and RH2D and AG positively correlate with duration of early-to-mid gestation T exposure. Male monkeys (n = 9 exhibit a sexually dimorphic 2D:4D in the right foot, but this trait is not emulated by early-to-mid or late gestation T exposed females. X-ray determined phalanx measurements indicate elongated finger and toe phalanx length in males, but no other phalanx-related differences. Discrete T exposure during early-to-mid gestation in female rhesus monkeys thus appears to increase RH2D:4D through right-side biased, non-skeletal tissue growth. As variation in timing and duration of gestational T exposure alter male-like dimensions of RH2D independently of RH4D, postnatal RH2D:4D provides a complex biomarker for fetal T exposure.

  17. Diagnostic value of newborn foot length to predict gestational age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mutia Farah Fawziah

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background  Identification of gestational age, especially within 48 hours of birth, is crucial for newborns, as the earlier preterm status is detected, the earlier the child can receive optimal management. Newborn foot length is an anthropometric measurement which is easy to perform, inexpensive, and potentially efficient for predicting gestational age. Objective  To analyze the diagnostic value of newborn foot length in predicting gestational age. Methods  This diagnostic study was performed between October 2016 and February 2017 in the High Care Unit of Neonates at Dr. Moewardi General Hospital, Surakarta. A total of 152 newborns were consecutively selected and underwent right foot length measurements before 96 hours of age. The correlation between newborn foot length to classify as full term and gestational age was analyzed with Spearman’s correlation test because of non-normal data distribution. The cut-off point of newborn foot length was calculated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve and diagnostic values of newborn foot length were analyzed by 2 x 2 table with SPSS 21.0 software. Results There were no significant differences between male and female newborns in terms of gestational age, birth weight, choronological age, and newborn foot length (P>0.05. Newborn foot length and gestational age had a significant correlation (r=0.53; P=0.000. The optimal cut-off newborn foot length to predict full term status was 7.1 cm. Newborn foot length below 7.1 cm had sensitivity 75%, specificity 98%, positive predictive value 94.3%, negative predictive value 90.6%, positive likelihood ratio 40.5, negative likelihood ratio 0.25, and post-test probability 94.29%, to predict preterm status in newborns. Conclusion  Newborn foot length can be used to predict gestational age, especially for the purpose of differentiating between preterm and full term newborns.

  18. Flow energy piezoelectric bimorph nozzle harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart; Lee, Hyeong Jae; Walkemeyer, Phillip; Hasenoehrl, Jennifer; Hall, Jeffrey L.; Colonius, Tim; Tosi, Luis Phillipe; Arrazola, Alvaro; Kim, Namhyo; Sun, Kai; Corbett, Gary

    2014-04-01

    There is a need for a long-life power generation scheme that could be used downhole in an oil well to produce 1 Watt average power. There are a variety of existing or proposed energy harvesting schemes that could be used in this environment but each of these has its own limitations. The vibrating piezoelectric structure is in principle capable of operating for very long lifetimes (decades) thereby possibly overcoming a principle limitation of existing technology based on rotating turbo-machinery. In order to determine the feasibility of using piezoelectrics to produce suitable flow energy harvesting, we surveyed experimentally a variety of nozzle configurations that could be used to excite a vibrating piezoelectric structure in such a way as to enable conversion of flow energy into useful amounts of electrical power. These included reed structures, spring mass-structures, drag and lift bluff bodies and a variety of nozzles with varying flow profiles. Although not an exhaustive survey we identified a spline nozzle/piezoelectric bimorph system that experimentally produced up to 3.4 mW per bimorph. This paper will discuss these results and present our initial analyses of the device using dimensional analysis and constitutive electromechanical modeling. The analysis suggests that an order-of-magnitude improvement in power generation from the current design is possible.

  19. Finite element modeling of piezoelectric elements with complex electrode configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paradies, R; Schläpfer, B

    2009-01-01

    It is well known that the material properties of piezoelectric materials strongly depend on the state of polarization of the individual element. While an unpolarized material exhibits mechanically isotropic material properties in the absence of global piezoelectric capabilities, the piezoelectric material properties become transversally isotropic with respect to the polarization direction after polarization. Therefore, for evaluating piezoelectric elements the material properties, including the coupling between the mechanical and the electromechanical behavior, should be addressed correctly. This is of special importance for the micromechanical description of piezoelectric elements with interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). The best known representatives of this group are active fiber composites (AFCs), macro fiber composites (MFCs) and the radial field diaphragm (RFD), respectively. While the material properties are available for a piezoelectric wafer with a homogeneous polarization perpendicular to its plane as postulated in the so-called uniform field model (UFM), the same information is missing for piezoelectric elements with more complex electrode configurations like the above-mentioned ones with IDEs. This is due to the inhomogeneous field distribution which does not automatically allow for the correct assignment of the material, i.e. orientation and property. A variation of the material orientation as well as the material properties can be accomplished by including the polarization process of the piezoelectric transducer in the finite element (FE) simulation prior to the actual load case to be investigated. A corresponding procedure is presented which automatically assigns the piezoelectric material properties, e.g. elasticity matrix, permittivity, and charge vector, for finite element models (FEMs) describing piezoelectric transducers according to the electric field distribution (field orientation and strength) in the structure. A corresponding code has been

  20. Upper-limit on the Advanced Virgo output mode cleaner cavity length noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnand, R.; Ducrot, M.; Gouaty, R.; Marion, F.; Masserot, A.; Mours, B.; Pacaud, E.; Rolland, L.; Was, M.

    2017-09-01

    The Advanced Virgo detector uses two monolithic optical cavities at its output port to suppress higher order modes and radio frequency sidebands from the carrier light used for gravitational wave detection. These two cavities in series form the output mode cleaner. We present a measured upper limit on the length noise of these cavities that is consistent with the thermo-refractive noise prediction of 8×10-16~m~Hz-1/2 at 15 Hz. The cavity length is controlled using Peltier cells and piezo-electric actuators to maintain resonance on the incoming light. A length lock precision of 3.5×10-13 m is achieved. These two results are combined to demonstrate that the broadband length noise of the output mode cleaner in the 10-60 Hz band is at least a factor 10 below other expected noise sources in the Advanced Virgo detector design configuration.

  1. Preparation and piezoelectric properties of (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with pressure-less sintering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du Hongliang; Li Zhimin; Tang Fusheng; Qu Shaobo; Pei Zhibin; Zhou Wancheng

    2006-01-01

    Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics (K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 (abbreviated as KNN) with the relative density of 97.6% have been synthesized by press-less sintering owing to the careful control of processing conditions. The phase structure of KNN ceramics with different sintering temperature and heating rate was analyzed. Results show that the pure perovskite phase with orthorhombic symmetry is in all ceramics specimens. The effect of heating rate and sintering temperature on microstructure and piezoelectric properties of KNN ceramics was investigated. The densification behavior and piezoelectric properties of KNN ceramics were enhanced by improving heating rate and sintering temperature. Pure KNN ceramics sintered at 1120 deg. C with heating rate of 5 deg. C/min showed optimized densification and piezoelectric properties (ρ = 4.4 g/cm 3 , d 33 = 120 pC/N -1 , k p = 0.40 and T c = 400 deg. C). The results show that KNN is a promising candidate for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

  2. Electronics for Piezoelectric Smart Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warkentin, D. J.; Tani, J.

    1997-01-01

    This paper briefly presents work addressing some of the basic considerations for the electronic components used in smart structures incorporating piezoelectric elements. After general remarks on the application of piezoelectric elements to the problem of structural vibration control, three main topics are described. Work to date on the development of techniques for embedding electronic components within structural parts is presented, followed by a description of the power flow and dissipation requirements of those components. Finally current work on the development of electronic circuits for use in an 'active wall' for acoustic noise is introduced.

  3. Q-factor enhancement for self-actuated self-sensing piezoelectric MEMS resonators applying a lock-in driven feedback loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kucera, M; Bittner, A; Schmid, U; Manzaneque, T; Sánchez-Rojas, J L

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a robust Q-control approach based on an all-electrical feedback loop enhancing the quality factor of a resonant microstructure by using the self-sensing capability of a piezoelectric thin film actuator made of aluminium nitride. A lock-in amplifier is used to extract the feedback signal which is proportional to the piezoelectric current. The measured real part is used to replace the originally low-quality and noisy feedback signal to modulate the driving voltage of the piezoelectric thin-film actuator. Since the lock-in amplifier reduces the noise in the feedback signal substantially, the proposed enhancement loop avoids the disadvantage of a constant signal-to-noise ratio, which an analogue feedback circuit usually suffers from. The quality factor was increased from the intrinsic value of 1766 to a maximum of 34 840 in air. These promising results facilitate precise measurements for self-actuated and self-sensing MEMS cantilevers even when operated in static viscous media. (paper)

  4. Fundamental analysis of piezocatalysis process on the surfaces of strained piezoelectric materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starr, Matthew B; Wang, Xudong

    2013-01-01

    Recently, the strain state of a piezoelectric electrode has been found to impact the electrochemical activity taking place between the piezoelectric material and its solution environment. This effect, dubbed piezocatalysis, is prominent in piezoelectric materials because the strain state and electronic state of these materials are strongly coupled. Herein we develop a general theoretical analysis of the piezocatalysis process utilizing well-established piezoelectric, semiconductor, molecular orbital and electrochemistry frameworks. The analysis shows good agreement with experimental results, reproducing the time-dependent voltage drop and H₂ production behaviors of an oscillating piezoelectric Pb(Mg₁/₃Nb₂/₃)O₃-32PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) cantilever in deionized water environment. This study provides general guidance for future experiments utilizing different piezoelectric materials, such as ZnO, BaTiO₃, PbTiO₃, and PMN-PT. Our analysis indicates a high piezoelectric coupling coefficient and a low electrical conductivity are desired for enabling high electrochemical activity; whereas electrical permittivity must be optimized to balance piezoelectric and capacitive effects.

  5. Theoretical and Experimental Study on Secondary Piezoelectric Effect Based on PZT-5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Z H; Sun, B Y; Shi, L P

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to confirm the existence of secondary and multiple piezoelectric effect theoretically and experimentally. Based on Heckmann model showing the relationship among mechanical, electric and heat energy and the physical model on mechanical, electric, heat, and magnetic energy, theoretical analysis of multiple piezoelectric effect is made through four kinds of piezoelectric equations. Experimental research of secondary direct piezoelectric effect is conducted through adopting PZT-5 piles. The result of the experiment indicates that charge generated by secondary direct piezoelectric effect as well as displacement caused by first converse piezoelectric effect keeps fine linearity with the applied voltage

  6. Fabrication of polypeptide-based piezoelectric composite polymer film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farrar, Dawnielle; West, James E.; Busch-Vishniac, Ilene J.; Yu, Seungju M.

    2008-01-01

    A new class of molecular composite piezoelectric material was produced by simultaneous poling and curing of a homogeneous solution comprising poly(γ-benzyl α,L-glutamate) and methylmethacrylate via corona discharge methods. This film exhibited high piezoelectricity (d 33 = 23 pC N -1 ), and its mechanical characteristics (modulus = 450 MPa) were similar to those of low molecular weight poly(methylmethacrylate). As it is produced via solution-based fabrication processes, the composite film is conducive to miniaturization for small sensors with integrated electronics, and could also potentially be used in piezoelectric coating applications

  7. LC Circuits for Diagnosing Embedded Piezoelectric Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chattin, Richard L.; Fox, Robert Lee; Moses, Robert W.; Shams, Qamar A.

    2005-01-01

    A recently invented method of nonintrusively detecting faults in piezoelectric devices involves measurement of the resonance frequencies of inductor capacitor (LC) resonant circuits. The method is intended especially to enable diagnosis of piezoelectric sensors, actuators, and sensor/actuators that are embedded in structures and/or are components of multilayer composite material structures.

  8. Control of piezoelectricity in amino acids by supramolecular packing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerin, Sarah; Stapleton, Aimee; Chovan, Drahomir; Mouras, Rabah; Gleeson, Matthew; McKeown, Cian; Noor, Mohamed Radzi; Silien, Christophe; Rhen, Fernando M. F.; Kholkin, Andrei L.; Liu, Ning; Soulimane, Tewfik; Tofail, Syed A. M.; Thompson, Damien

    2018-02-01

    Piezoelectricity, the linear relationship between stress and induced electrical charge, has attracted recent interest due to its manifestation in biological molecules such as synthetic polypeptides or amino acid crystals, including gamma (γ) glycine. It has also been demonstrated in bone, collagen, elastin and the synthetic bone mineral hydroxyapatite. Piezoelectric coefficients exhibited by these biological materials are generally low, typically in the range of 0.1-10 pm V-1, limiting technological applications. Guided by quantum mechanical calculations we have measured a high shear piezoelectricity (178 pm V-1) in the amino acid crystal beta (β) glycine, which is of similar magnitude to barium titanate or lead zirconate titanate. Our calculations show that the high piezoelectric coefficients originate from an efficient packing of the molecules along certain crystallographic planes and directions. The highest predicted piezoelectric voltage constant for β-glycine crystals is 8 V mN-1, which is an order of magnitude larger than the voltage generated by any currently used ceramic or polymer.

  9. Control of piezoelectricity in amino acids by supramolecular packing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerin, Sarah; Stapleton, Aimee; Chovan, Drahomir; Mouras, Rabah; Gleeson, Matthew; McKeown, Cian; Noor, Mohamed Radzi; Silien, Christophe; Rhen, Fernando M F; Kholkin, Andrei L; Liu, Ning; Soulimane, Tewfik; Tofail, Syed A M; Thompson, Damien

    2018-02-01

    Piezoelectricity, the linear relationship between stress and induced electrical charge, has attracted recent interest due to its manifestation in biological molecules such as synthetic polypeptides or amino acid crystals, including gamma (γ) glycine. It has also been demonstrated in bone, collagen, elastin and the synthetic bone mineral hydroxyapatite. Piezoelectric coefficients exhibited by these biological materials are generally low, typically in the range of 0.1-10 pm V -1 , limiting technological applications. Guided by quantum mechanical calculations we have measured a high shear piezoelectricity (178 pm V -1 ) in the amino acid crystal beta (β) glycine, which is of similar magnitude to barium titanate or lead zirconate titanate. Our calculations show that the high piezoelectric coefficients originate from an efficient packing of the molecules along certain crystallographic planes and directions. The highest predicted piezoelectric voltage constant for β-glycine crystals is 8 V mN -1 , which is an order of magnitude larger than the voltage generated by any currently used ceramic or polymer.

  10. A review of piezoelectric polymers as functional materials for electromechanical transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramadan, Khaled S; Evoy, S; Sameoto, D

    2014-01-01

    Polymer based MEMS and microfluidic devices have the advantages of mechanical flexibility, lower fabrication cost and faster processing over silicon based ones. Also, many polymer materials are considered biocompatible and can be used in biological applications. A valuable class of polymers for microfabricated devices is piezoelectric functional polymers. In addition to the normal advantages of polymers, piezoelectric polymers can be directly used as an active material in different transduction applications. This paper gives an overview of piezoelectric polymers based on their operating principle. This includes three main categories: bulk piezoelectric polymers, piezocomposites and voided charged polymers. State-of-the-art piezopolymers of each category are presented with a focus on fabrication techniques and material properties. A comparison between the different piezoelectric polymers and common inorganic piezoelectric materials (PZT, ZnO, AlN and PMN–PT) is also provided in terms of piezoelectric properties. The use of piezopolymers in different electromechanical devices is also presented. This includes tactile sensors, energy harvesters, acoustic transducers and inertial sensors. (topical review)

  11. Enhanced Piezoelectric Response of AlN via CrN Alloying

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manna, Sukriti; Talley, Kevin R.; Gorai, Prashun; Mangum, John; Zakutayev, Andriy; Brennecka, Geoff L.; Stevanović, Vladan; Ciobanu, Cristian V.

    2018-03-01

    Since AlN has emerged as an important piezoelectric material for a wide variety of applications, efforts have been made to increase its piezoelectric response via alloying with transition metals that can substitute for Al in the wurtzite lattice. We report on density functional theory calculations of structure and properties of the CrxAl1-xN system for Cr concentrations ranging from zero to beyond the wurtzite-rocksalt transition point. By studying the different contributions to the longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient, we propose that the physical origin of the enhanced piezoelectricity in CrxAl1-xN alloys is the increase of the internal parameter u of the wurtzite structure upon substitution of Al with the larger Cr ions. Among a set of wurtzite-structured materials, we find that CrxAl1-xN has the most sensitive piezoelectric coefficient with respect to alloying concentration. Based on these results, we propose that CrxAl1-xN is a viable piezoelectric material whose properties can be tuned via Cr composition. We support this proposal by combinatorial synthesis experiments, which show that Cr can be incorporated in the AlN lattice up to 30% before a detectable transition to rocksalt occurs. At this Cr content, the piezoelectric modulus d33 is approximately 4 times larger than that of pure AlN. This finding, combined with the relative ease of synthesis under nonequilibrium conditions, may position CrxAl1-xN as a prime piezoelectric material for applications such as resonators and acoustic wave generators.

  12. Enhanced Piezoelectric Response of AlN via CrN Alloying

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manna, Sukriti; Talley, Kevin R.; Gorai, Prashun; Mangum, John; Zakutayev, Andriy; Brennecka, Geoff L.; Stevanović, Vladan; Ciobanu, Cristian V.

    2018-03-01

    Since AlN has emerged as an important piezoelectric material for a wide variety of applications, efforts have been made to increase its piezoelectric response via alloying with transition metals that can substitute for Al in the wurtzite lattice. We report on density functional theory calculations of structure and properties of the Crx Al1 -x N system for Cr concentrations ranging from zero to beyond the wurtzite-rocksalt transition point. By studying the different contributions to the longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient, we propose that the physical origin of the enhanced piezoelectricity in Crx Al1 -x N alloys is the increase of the internal parameter u of the wurtzite structure upon substitution of Al with the larger Cr ions. Among a set of wurtzite-structured materials, we find that Crx Al1 -x N has the most sensitive piezoelectric coefficient with respect to alloying concentration. Based on these results, we propose that Crx Al1 -x N is a viable piezoelectric material whose properties can be tuned via Cr composition. We support this proposal by combinatorial synthesis experiments, which show that Cr can be incorporated in the AlN lattice up to 30% before a detectable transition to rocksalt occurs. At this Cr content, the piezoelectric modulus d33 is approximately 4 times larger than that of pure AlN. This finding, combined with the relative ease of synthesis under nonequilibrium conditions, may position Crx Al1 -x N as a prime piezoelectric material for applications such as resonators and acoustic wave generators.

  13. Force Measurement with a Piezoelectric Cantilever in a Scanning Force Microscope

    OpenAIRE

    Tansock, J.; Williams, C. C.

    1992-01-01

    Detection of surface forces between a tip and sample has been demonstrated with a piezoelectric cantilever in a scanning force microscope (SFM). The use of piezoelectric force sensing is particularly advantageous in semiconductor applications where stray light from conventional optical force-sensing methods can significantly modify the local carrier density. Additionally, the piezoelectric sensors are simple, provide good sensitivity to force, and can be batch fabricated. Our piezoelectric fo...

  14. Design of a piezoelectric shaker for centrifuge testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canclini, J. G.; Henderson, J. M.

    1979-01-01

    The design of a prototype piezoelectric shaker and its development to date is described. Although certain design problems remain to be solved, the piezoelectric system shows promise for adaptation to a larger payload system, such as the proposed geotechnical centrifuge at the Ames Research Center.

  15. 1D Piezoelectric Material Based Nanogenerators: Methods, Materials and Property Optimization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xing; Sun, Mei; Wei, Xianlong; Shan, Chongxin; Chen, Qing

    2018-03-23

    Due to the enhanced piezoelectric properties, excellent mechanical properties and tunable electric properties, one-dimensional (1D) piezoelectric materials have shown their promising applications in nanogenerators (NG), sensors, actuators, electronic devices etc. To present a clear view about 1D piezoelectric materials, this review mainly focuses on the characterization and optimization of the piezoelectric properties of 1D nanomaterials, including semiconducting nanowires (NWs) with wurtzite and/or zinc blend phases, perovskite NWs and 1D polymers. Specifically, the piezoelectric coefficients, performance of single NW-based NG and structure-dependent electromechanical properties of 1D nanostructured materials can be respectively investigated through piezoresponse force microscopy, atomic force microscopy and the in-situ scanning/transmission electron microcopy. Along with the introduction of the mechanism and piezoelectric properties of 1D semiconductor, perovskite materials and polymers, their performance improvement strategies are summarized from the view of microstructures, including size-effect, crystal structure, orientation and defects. Finally, the extension of 1D piezoelectric materials in field effect transistors and optoelectronic devices are simply introduced.

  16. Mechanical and Vibration Testing of Carbon Fiber Composite Material with Embedded Piezoelectric Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffy, Kirsten P.; Lerch, Bradley A.; Wilmoth, Nathan G.; Kray, Nicholas; Gemeinhardt, Gregory

    2012-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials have been proposed as a means of decreasing turbomachinery blade vibration either through a passive damping scheme, or as part of an active vibration control system. For polymer matrix fiber composite (PMFC) blades, the piezoelectric elements could be embedded within the blade material, protecting the brittle piezoceramic material from the airflow and from debris. Before implementation of a piezoelectric element within a PMFC blade, the effect on PMFC mechanical properties needs to be understood. This study attempts to determine how the inclusion of a packaged piezoelectric patch affects the material properties of the PMFC. Composite specimens with embedded piezoelectric patches were tested in four-point bending, short beam shear, and flatwise tension configurations. Results show that the embedded piezoelectric material does decrease the strength of the composite material, especially in flatwise tension, attributable to failure at the interface or within the piezoelectric element itself. In addition, the sensing properties of the post-cured embedded piezoelectric materials were tested, and performed as expected. The piezoelectric materials include a non-flexible patch incorporating solid piezoceramic material, and two flexible patch types incorporating piezoelectric fibers. The piezoceramic material used in these patches was Navy Type-II PZT.

  17. Analysis of vibration waveforms of electromechanical response to determine piezoelectric and electrostrictive coefficients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izumi, Tatsuya; Hagiwara, Manabu; Hoshina, Takuya; Takeda, Hiroaki; Tsurumi, Takaaki

    2012-08-01

    We developed a possible method to determine both coefficients of piezoelectricity (d) and electrostriction (M) at the same time by a waveform analysis of current and vibration velocity in the resonance state. The waveforms of the current and vibration velocity were theoretically described using the equations of motion and piezoelectric constitutive equations, considering the dissipation effect. The dissipation factor of the d coefficient and M coefficient is dielectric loss tangent tan δ. The waveforms measured in all of the ceramics, such as Pb(Zr,Ti)O(3) (PZT), Pb(Mg,Nb)O(3) (PMN), and 0.8Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb2/3)O(3)-0.2PbTiO(3) (PMN-PT), were well fitted with the calculated waveform. This fitting produced both the d and M coefficients, which agreed with those determined via the conventional methods. Moreover, the respective contributions of both piezoelectricity and electrostriction to the d value determined in the resonance-antiresonance method were clarified.

  18. Flow Energy Piezoelectric Bimorph Nozzle Harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherrit, Stewart (Inventor); Walkemeyer, Phillip E. (Inventor); Hall, Jeffrey L. (Inventor); Lee, Hyeong Jae (Inventor); Colonius, Tim (Inventor); Tosi, Phillipe (Inventor); Kim, Namhyo (Inventor); Sun, Kai (Inventor); Corbett, Thomas Gary (Inventor); Arrazola, Alvaro Jose (Inventor)

    2016-01-01

    A flow energy harvesting device having a harvester pipe includes a flow inlet that receives flow from a primary pipe, a flow outlet that returns the flow into the primary pipe, and a flow diverter within the harvester pipe having an inlet section coupled to the flow inlet, a flow constriction section coupled to the inlet section and positioned at a midpoint of the harvester pipe and having a spline shape with a substantially reduced flow opening size at a constriction point along the spline shape, and an outlet section coupled to the constriction section. The harvester pipe may further include a piezoelectric structure extending from the inlet section through the constriction section and point such that the fluid flow past the constriction point results in oscillatory pressure amplitude inducing vibrations in the piezoelectric structure sufficient to cause a direct piezoelectric effect and to generate electrical power for harvesting.

  19. Flexible Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting from Mouse Click Motions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youngsu Cha

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we study energy harvesting from the mouse click motions of a robot finger and a human index finger using a piezoelectric material. The feasibility of energy harvesting from mouse click motions is experimentally and theoretically assessed. The fingers wear a glove with a pocket for including the piezoelectric material. We model the energy harvesting system through the inverse kinematic framework of parallel joints in a finger and the electromechanical coupling equations of the piezoelectric material. The model is validated through energy harvesting experiments in the robot and human fingers with the systematically varying load resistance. We find that energy harvesting is maximized at the matched load resistance to the impedance of the piezoelectric material, and the harvested energy level is tens of nJ.

  20. Evaluation of electromechanical coupling parameters of piezoelectric materials by using piezoelectric cantilever with coplanar electrode structure in quasi-stasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Xuejun; Zhu, Yuankun; Liu, Xun; Liu, Jing; Zhang, Yong; Chen, Jianguo

    2014-02-01

    Based on Timoshenko beam theory, a principle model is proposed to establish the relationship between electric charge and excitation acceleration, and in quasi-stasis we apply the direct piezoelectric effect of multilayer cantilever with coplanar electrode structure to evaluate the piezoelectric strain coefficient d15 and electromechanical coupling coefficient k15. They are measured as 678 pC/N and 0.74 for the commercial piezoelectric ceramic lead zirconate titanate (PZT-51) bulk specimen and 656 pC/N and 0.63 for the lead magnesium niobate (PMN) bulk specimen, and they are in agreement with the calibration and simulation values. The maximum of relative errors is less than 4.2%, so the proposed method is reliable and convenient.

  1. Proposition for sensorless self-excitation by a piezoelectric device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Y.; Kokubun, Y.; Yabuno, H.

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we propose a method to realize self-excitation in an oscillator actuated by a piezoelectric device without a sensor. In general, the positive feedback associated with the oscillator velocity causes the self-excitation. Instead of measuring the velocity with a sensor, we utilize the electro-mechanical coupling effect in the oscillator and piezoelectric device. We drive the piezoelectric device with a current proportional to the linear combination of the voltage across the terminals of the piezoelectric device and its differential voltage signal. Then, the oscillator with the piezoelectric device behaves like a third-order system, which has three eigenvalues. The self-excitation can be realized because appropriate feedback gains can set two of the eigenvalues to be conjugate complex roots with a positive real part and the other eigenvalue to be a negative real root. To confirm the validity of the proposed method, we experimentally demonstrated the sensorless self-excitation and, as an application example, carried out mass sensing in a sensorless self-excited macrocantilever.

  2. Synthesis of Y-Tip Graphitic Nanoribbons from Alcohol Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition on Piezoelectric Substrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zainab Yunusa

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We report the synthesis of Graphitic Nanoribbons (GNRs using Alcohol Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition (ACCVD. Bulk GNR was synthesized directly on a piezoelectric substrate using one-step ACCVD. The synthesized GNRs were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM, Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM, and Raman spectroscopy. The characterization results showed Y-tip morphology of bulk and filamentous as-grown GNR having varying width that lies between tens and hundreds of nm and length of several microns. Based on the thickness obtained from the AFM and the analysis from the Raman spectroscopy, it was concluded that the synthesized GNRs are multiple-layered and graphitic in nature. With the direct synthesis of GNR on a piezoelectric substrate, it could have applications in the sensor industries, while the Y-tip GNR could have potentialities in semiconductor applications.

  3. Piezoelectric materials mimic the function of the cochlear sensory epithelium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inaoka, Takatoshi; Shintaku, Hirofumi; Nakagawa, Takayuki; Kawano, Satoyuki; Ogita, Hideaki; Sakamoto, Tatsunori; Hamanishi, Shinji; Wada, Hiroshi; Ito, Juichi

    2011-11-08

    Cochlear hair cells convert sound vibration into electrical potential, and loss of these cells diminishes auditory function. In response to mechanical stimuli, piezoelectric materials generate electricity, suggesting that they could be used in place of hair cells to create an artificial cochlear epithelium. Here, we report that a piezoelectric membrane generated electrical potentials in response to sound stimuli that were able to induce auditory brainstem responses in deafened guinea pigs, indicating its capacity to mimic basilar membrane function. In addition, sound stimuli were transmitted through the external auditory canal to a piezoelectric membrane implanted in the cochlea, inducing it to vibrate. The application of sound to the middle ear ossicle induced voltage output from the implanted piezoelectric membrane. These findings establish the fundamental principles for the development of hearing devices using piezoelectric materials, although there are many problems to be overcome before practical application.

  4. In Situ Poling and Imidization of Amorphous Piezoelectric Polyimides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Cheol; Ounaies, Zoubeida; Wise, Kristopher E.; Harrison, Joycelyn S.; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    An amorphous piezoelectric polyimide containing polar functional groups has been developed using a combination of experimental and molecular modeling for potential use in high temperature applications. This amorphous polyimide, (Beta-CN)APB/ODPA, has exhibited good thermal stability and piezoelectric response at temperatures up to 150C. Density functional calculations predicted that a partially cured amic acid (open imide ring) possesses a dipole moment four times larger than the fully imidized closed ring. In situ poling and imidization of the partially cured (Beta-CN)APB/ODPA, was studied in an attempt to maximize the degree of dipolar orientation and the resultant piezoelectric response. A positive corona poling was used to minimize localized arcing during poling and to allow use of higher poling fields without dielectric breakdown. The dielectric relaxation strength, remanent polarization, and piezoelectric response were evaluated as a function of the poling profile. The partially cured, corona poled polymers exhibited higher dielectric relaxation strength (delta varepsilon), remanent polarization (Pr) and piezoelectric strain coefficient (d33) than the fully cured, conventionally poled ones.

  5. Piezoelectric energy harvesting in coupling-chamber excited by the vortex-induced pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Tinghai; Wang, Yingting; Qin, Feng; Song, Zhaoyang; Lu, Xiaohui; Bao, Gang; Zhao, Xilu

    2016-08-01

    The performance of a piezoelectric energy harvester with a coupling chamber was investigated under vortex-induced pressure. The harvester consisted of a power chamber, a buffer, and a storage chamber. Different types of vortex (i.e., clockwise or counter-clockwise) could be induced by changing the volume ratio between the power chamber and the storage chamber. The peak voltage of the harvester could be tuned by changing the volume ratio. For example, under a pressure of 0.30 MPa, input cycle of 2.0 s, and flow rate of 200 l/min, the peak voltage decreased from 79.20 to 70.80 V with increasing volume ratio. The optimal volume ratio was 2.03, which resulted in the formation of a clockwise vortex. The corresponding effective power through a 600 kΩ resistor was 1.97 mW.

  6. Large In-Plane and Vertical Piezoelectricity in Janus Transition Metal Dichalchogenides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Liang; Lou, Jun; Shenoy, Vivek B

    2017-08-22

    Piezoelectricity in 2D van der Waals materials has received considerable interest because of potential applications in nanoscale energy harvesting, sensors, and actuators. However, in all the systems studied to date, strain and electric polarization are confined to the basal plane, limiting the operation of piezoelectric devices. In this paper, based on ab initio calculations, we report a 2D materials system, namely, the recently synthesized Janus MXY (M = Mo or W, X/Y = S, Se, or Te) monolayer and multilayer structures, with large out-of-plane piezoelectric polarization. For MXY monolayers, both strong in-plane and much weaker out-of-plane piezoelectric polarizations can be induced by a uniaxial strain in the basal plane. For multilayer MXY, we obtain a very strong out-of-plane piezoelectric polarization when strained transverse to the basal plane, regardless of the stacking sequence. The out-of-plane piezoelectric coefficient d 33 is found to be strongest in multilayer MoSTe (5.7-13.5 pm/V depending on the stacking sequence), which is larger than that of the commonly used 3D piezoelectric material AlN (d 33 = 5.6 pm/V); d 33 in other multilayer MXY structures are a bit smaller, but still comparable. Our study reveals the potential for utilizing piezoelectric 2D materials and their van der Waals multilayers in device applications.

  7. Inductorless bi-directional piezoelectric transformerbased converters: Design and control considerations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ekhtiari, Marzieh

    electromagnetic interference, compact, light, high power density and low cost allows for promising market in the near future. The piezoelectric transformer technology has the potential to be used in various applications e.g. motor driver for magnetic resonance imaging scans, the electronic ballast for fluorescent...... of inductorless switch-mode power supplies employing piezoelectric transformers. The main focus of this research is on the functionality of the piezoelectric transformer-based power converters and applying control techniques in order to exploit advantages of the piezoelectric transformers for the power converters...... detector applicable for switch-mode power supplies, optimum phase detector, bi-directional wide bandwidth current sensor and a comprehensive analysis of piezoelectric transformer-based switch-mode power supplies for zero-voltage switching, where all finalized with improving the unidirectional topology...

  8. Ultra-Sensitive Strain Sensor Based on Flexible Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Piezoelectric Film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Kai; Huang, Wen; Guo, Junxiong; Gong, Tianxun; Wei, Xiongbang; Lu, Bing-Wei; Liu, Si-Yi; Yu, Bin

    2018-03-01

    A flexible 4 × 4 sensor array with 16 micro-scale capacitive units has been demonstrated based on flexible piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film. The piezoelectricity and surface morphology of the PVDF were examined by optical imaging and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The PFM shows phase contrast, indicating clear interface between the PVDF and electrode. The electro-mechanical properties show that the sensor exhibits excellent output response and an ultra-high signal-to-noise ratio. The output voltage and the applied pressure possess linear relationship with a slope of 12 mV/kPa. The hold-and-release output characteristics recover in less than 2.5 μs, demonstrating outstanding electro-mechanical response. Additionally, signal interference between the adjacent arrays has been investigated via theoretical simulation. The results show the interference reduces with decreasing pressure at a rate of 0.028 mV/kPa, highly scalable with electrode size and becoming insignificant for pressure level under 178 kPa.

  9. 3D micro-structures by piezoelectric inkjet printing of gold nanofluids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kullmann, Carmen; Lee, Ming-Tsang; Grigoropoulos, Costas P; Schirmer, Niklas C; Poulikakos, Dimos; Ko, Seung Hwan; Hotz, Nico

    2012-01-01

    3D solid and pocketed micro-wires and micro-walls are needed for emerging applications that require fine-scale functional structures in three dimensions, including micro-heaters, micro-reactors and solar cells. To fulfill this demand, 3D micro-structures with high aspect ratios (>50:1) are developed on a low-cost basis that is applicable for mass production with high throughput, also enabling the printing of structures that cannot be manufactured by conventional techniques. Additively patterned 3D gold micro-walls and -wires are grown by piezoelectric inkjet printing of nanofluids, selectively combined with in situ simultaneous laser annealing that can be applied to large-scale bulk production. It is demonstrated how the results of 3D printing depend on the piezoelectric voltage pulse, the substrate heating temperature and the structure height, resulting in the identification of thermal regions of optimal printing for best printing results. Furthermore a parametric analysis of the applied substrate temperature during printing leads to proposed temperature ranges for solid and pocketed micro-wire and micro-wall growth for selected frequency and voltages. (paper)

  10. 3D micro-structures by piezoelectric inkjet printing of gold nanofluids

    KAUST Repository

    Kullmann, Carmen

    2012-04-18

    3D solid and pocketed micro-wires and micro-walls are needed for emerging applications that require fine-scale functional structures in three dimensions, including micro-heaters, micro-reactors and solar cells. To fulfill this demand, 3D micro-structures with high aspect ratios (>50:1) are developed on a low-cost basis that is applicable for mass production with high throughput, also enabling the printing of structures that cannot be manufactured by conventional techniques. Additively patterned 3D gold micro-walls and -wires are grown by piezoelectric inkjet printing of nanofluids, selectively combined with in situ simultaneous laser annealing that can be applied to large-scale bulk production. It is demonstrated how the results of 3D printing depend on the piezoelectric voltage pulse, the substrate heating temperature and the structure height, resulting in the identification of thermal regions of optimal printing for best printing results. Furthermore a parametric analysis of the applied substrate temperature during printing leads to proposed temperature ranges for solid and pocketed micro-wire and micro-wall growth for selected frequency and voltages. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  11. Fundamentals of piezoelectric sensorics mechanical, dielectric, and thermodynamical properties of piezoelectric materials

    CERN Document Server

    Tichý, Jan; Kittinger, Erwin; Prívratská, Jana; Privatska, Jana; Janovec, Vaclav

    2010-01-01

    This book presents the physics of piezoleletric sensors in a straight-forward and easy-to-grasp way, from the fundamentals of phenomenological crystal physics through more complex concepts, to its explanation of several important piezoelectric materials.

  12. Multidirection Piezoelectricity in Mono- and Multilayered Hexagonal α-In2Se3

    KAUST Repository

    Xue, Fei

    2018-04-25

    Piezoelectric materials have been widely used for sensors, actuators, electronics, and energy conversion. Two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin semiconductors, such as monolayer h-BN and MoS2 with their atom-level geometry, are currently emerging as new and attractive members of the piezoelectric family. However, their piezoelectric polarization is commonly limited to the in-plane direction of odd-number ultrathin layers, largely restricting their application in integrated nanoelectromechanical systems. Recently, theoretical calculations have predicted the existence of out-of-plane and in-plane piezoelectricity in monolayer α-In2Se3. Here, we experimentally report the coexistence of out-of-plane and in-plane piezoelectricity in monolayer to bulk α-In2Se3, attributed to their noncentrosymmetry originating from the hexagonal stacking. Specifically, the corresponding d33 piezoelectric coefficient of α-In2Se3 increases from 0.34 pm/V (monolayer) to 5.6 pm/V (bulk) without any odd-even effect. In addition, we also demonstrate a type of α-In2Se3-based flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator as an energy-harvesting cell and electronic skin. The out-of-plane and in-plane piezoelectricity in α-In2Se3 flakes offers an opportunity to enable both directional and nondirectional piezoelectric devices to be applicable for self-powered systems and adaptive and strain-tunable electronics/optoelectronics.

  13. Piezoelectric Resonance Investigation of Zr-rich PZT at Room Temperature

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cereceda, N.; Noheda, B.; Fernandez-del-Castillo, J.R.; Gonzalo, J.A.; Frutos, J. De

    1999-01-01

    We study the piezoelectric resonances in poled PZT ceramics by means of a microscopic model. It connects the microscopic vibrations of the ionic units, cooperatively producing the piezoelectric effect, with the macroscopic piezoelectric parameters. The behaviour at the resonance is well described in

  14. Theoretical and experimental investigations of thickness- stretch modes in 1-3 piezoelectric composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Z T; Zeng, D P; He, M; Wang, H

    2015-01-01

    Bulk piezoelectric ceramics operating in thickness-stretch (TSt) modes have been widely used in acoustic-related devices. However, the fundamental TSt waves are always coupled with other modes, and the occurrence of these spurious modes in bulk piezoelectric ceramics affects its performance. To suppress the spurious modes, 1-3 piezoelectric composites are promising candidates. However, theoretical modeling of multiphase ceramic composite objects is very complex. In this study, a 1-3 piezoelectric composite sample and a bulk piezoelectric sample are fabricated. The electrical impedance of these two samples are compared. A simple analytical TSt vibration mode from the three dimensional equations of linear piezoelectricity is used to model the performance of 1-3 piezoelectric composites. The theoretical results agree well with the experimental results. (paper)

  15. Electrical admittance of piezoelectric parallelepipeds: application to tensorial characterization of piezoceramics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Diallo

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This work deals with the characterization of functional properties, including determination of mechanical and electrical losses, of piezoelectric materials using only one sample and one measurement. First, the natural resonant frequencies of a piezoelectric parallelepiped are calculated and the electrical admittance is determined from calculations of the charge quantity on both electrodes of the parallelepiped. A first validation of the model is performed using a comparison with Mason's model. Results are reported for a PMN-34.5PT ceramic cube and a good agreement is found between experimental admittance measurements and their modeling. The functional properties of the PMN-34.5PT are then extracted.

  16. Electrical admittance of piezoelectric parallelepipeds: application to tensorial characterization of piezoceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diallo, O.; Bavencoffe, M.; Feuillard, G. [Laboratoire GREMAN UMR CNRS 7347. École Nationale d’Ingénieurs du Val de Loire Université François Rabelais de Tours 3 Rue de la Chocolaterie BP 3410 41034 BLOIS CEDEX France (France); Clezio, E. Le; Delaunay, T. [Institut d’Electronique du Sud UMR CNRS 5214 IES - MIRA case 082Université Montpellier 2 Place Eugène Bataillon 34095 MONTPELLIER CEDEX 5 France (France)

    2014-01-15

    This work deals with the characterization of functional properties, including determination of mechanical and electrical losses, of piezoelectric materials using only one sample and one measurement. First, the natural resonant frequencies of a piezoelectric parallelepiped are calculated and the electrical admittance is determined from calculations of the charge quantity on both electrodes of the parallelepiped. A first validation of the model is performed using a comparison with Mason's model. Results are reported for a PMN-34.5PT ceramic cube and a good agreement is found between experimental admittance measurements and their modeling. The functional properties of the PMN-34.5PT are then extracted.

  17. Nonlinear piezoelectricity in PZT ceramics for generating ultrasonic phase conjugate waves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto; Kokubo; Sakai; Takagi

    2000-03-01

    We have succeeded in the generation of acoustic phase conjugate waves with nonlinear PZT piezoelectric ceramics and applied them to ultrasonic imaging systems. Our aim is to make a phase conjugator with 100% efficiency. For this purpose, it is important to clarify the mechanism of acoustic phase conjugation through nonlinear piezoelectricity. The process is explained by the parametric interaction via the third-order nonlinear piezoelectricity between the incident acoustic wave at angular frequency omega and the pump electric field at 2 omega. We solved the coupling equations including the third-ordered nonlinear piezoelectricity and theoretically derived the amplitude efficiency of the acoustic phase conjugation. We compared the efficiencies between the theoretical and experimental values for PZT ceramics with eight different compositions. Pb[(Zn1/3Nb2/3)(1 - x)Tix]O3 (X = 0.09, PZNT91/9) piezoelectric single crystals have been investigated for high-performance ultrasonic transducer application, because these have large piezoelectric constants, high electrical-mechanical coupling factors and high dielectric constants. We found that they have third-order nonlinear piezoelectric constants much larger than PZT and are hopeful that the material as a phase conjugator has over 100% efficiency.

  18. Development of a Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domm, Lukas N.

    2011-01-01

    The Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill is designed to core through rock using a combination of rotation and high frequency hammering powered by a single piezoelectric actuator. It is designed as a low axial preload, low mass, and low power device for sample acquisition on future missions to extraterrestrial bodies. The purpose of this internship is to develop and test a prototype of the Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill in order to verify the use of a horn with helical or angled cuts as a hammering and torque inducing mechanism. Through an iterative design process using models in ANSYS Finite Element software and a Mason's Equivalent Circuit model in MATLAB, a horn design was chosen for fabrication based on the predicted horn tip motion, electromechanical coupling, and neutral plane location. The design was then machined and a test bed assembled. The completed prototype has proven that a single piezoelectric actuator can be used to produce both rotation and hammering in a drill string through the use of a torque inducing horn. Final data results include bit rotation produced versus input power, and best drilling rate achieved with the prototype.

  19. Energy harvesting performance of piezoelectric ceramic and polymer nanowires.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crossley, Sam; Kar-Narayan, Sohini

    2015-08-28

    Energy harvesting from ubiquitous ambient vibrations is attractive for autonomous small-power applications and thus considerable research is focused on piezoelectric materials as they permit direct inter-conversion of mechanical and electrical energy. Nanogenerators (NGs) based on piezoelectric nanowires are particularly attractive due to their sensitivity to small-scale vibrations and may possess superior mechanical-to-electrical conversion efficiency when compared to bulk or thin-film devices of the same material. However, candidate piezoelectric nanowires have hitherto been predominantly analyzed in terms of NG output (i.e. output voltage, output current and output power density). Surprisingly, the corresponding dynamical properties of the NG, including details of how the nanowires are mechanically driven and its impact on performance, have been largely neglected. Here we investigate all realizable NG driving contexts separately involving inertial displacement, applied stress T and applied strain S, highlighting the effect of driving mechanism and frequency on NG performance in each case. We argue that, in the majority of cases, the intrinsic high resonance frequencies of piezoelectric nanowires (∼tens of MHz) present no barrier to high levels of NG performance even at frequencies far below resonance (materials properties, for comparing piezoelectric NG performance under strain-driven and stress-driven conditions respectively. These figures of merit permit, for the first time, a general comparison of piezoelectric nanowires for NG applications that takes into account the nature of the mechanical excitation. We thus investigate the energy harvesting performance of prototypical piezoelectric ceramic and polymer nanowires. We find that even though ceramic and polymer nanowires have been found, in certain cases, to have similar energy conversion efficiencies, ceramics are more promising in strain-driven NGs while polymers are more promising for stress-driven NGs

  20. Study the Postbuckling of Hexagonal Piezoelectric Nanowires with Surface Effect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Rahmani

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric nanobeams having circular, rectangular and hexagonal cross-sections are synthesized and used in various Nano structures; however, piezoelectric nanobeams with hexagonal cross-sections have not been studied in detail. In particular, the physical mechanisms of the surface effect and the role of surface stress, surface elasticity and surface piezoelectricity have not been discussed thoroughly. The present study investigated post-buckling behavior of piezoelectric nanobeams by examining surface effects. The energy method was applied to post-buckling of hexagonal nanobeams and the critical buckling voltage and amplitude are derived analytically from bulk and surface material properties and geometric factors.

  1. A T-shape linear piezoelectric motor with single foot.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yingxiang; Chen, Weishan; Yang, Xiaohui; Liu, Junkao

    2015-02-01

    A new T-shape piezoelectric motor using the hybrid of two orthogonal longitudinal vibrations is proposed in this work. Six pieces of PZT ceramic plates are bonded on the upside and downside surfaces of a T-shape duralumin alloy base respectively to form the proposed motor. Elliptical movement can be generated on the driving tip by applying sine and cosine voltages to the PZT elements. The horizontal displacement of the driving tip will push the runner while the vertical displacement can overcome the preload. Finite element method is used to accomplish the design and analysis process. The resonance frequencies of the two vibration modes are tuned to be close by modal analysis, while the motion trajectory of the driving tip is observed by transient analysis. After the fabrication of a prototype, the vibration characteristics and mechanical output ability are measured. The no-load speed and the maximum output thrust force of the proposed motor are tested to be 718 mm/s and 3.5 N under an exciting frequency of 53.1 kHz. The proposed T-shape piezoelectric motor exhibits merits of simple structure, easy to realize miniaturization, easy to be fabricated, and high power-to-weight ratio. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Piezoelectric antibacterial fabric comprised of poly(l-lactic acid) yarn

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ando, Masamichi; Takeshima, Satoshi; Ishiura, Yutaka; Ando, Kanako; Onishi, Osamu

    2017-10-01

    A lactic acid monomer has an asymmetric carbon in the molecule, so there are optical isomer l- and d-type. The most widely used poly(lactic acid) (PLA) for commercial applications is poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA). PLLA is the polymerization product of l-lactide. Certain treatments of PLLA can yield a film that exhibits shear piezoelectricity. Thus, piezoelectric PLLA fiber can be generated by micro slitting piezoelectric PLLA films or by a melt spinning method. We prepared left-handed helical multi fiber yarn (S-yarn) and right-handed helical yarn (Z-yarn) using piezoelectric PLLA fiber. PLLA exhibited shear mode piezoelectricity, causing the electric polarity of the yarn surface to be reversed on the S-yarn and Z-yarn when tension was applied. An SZ-yarn was produced by combining the S-yarn and Z-yarn, and fabric was prepared using the SZ-yarn. This study demonstrated that the fabric has a strong antibacterial effect, which is thought to be due to the strong electric field between the yarns. The field is generated by a piezoelectric effect when the fabric was extended and contracted.

  3. Analysis of Piezoelectric Solids using Finite Element Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aslam, Mohammed; Nagarajan, Praveen; Remanan, Mini

    2018-03-01

    Piezoelectric materials are extensively used in smart structures as sensors and actuators. In this paper, static analysis of three piezoelectric solids is done using general-purpose finite element software, Abaqus. The simulation results from Abaqus are compared with the results obtained using numerical methods like Boundary Element Method (BEM) and meshless point collocation method (PCM). The BEM and PCM are cumbersome for complex shape and complicated boundary conditions. This paper shows that the software Abaqus can be used to solve the governing equations of piezoelectric solids in a much simpler and faster way than the BEM and PCM.

  4. Fuzzy PID Feedback Control of Piezoelectric Actuator with Feedforward Compensation

    OpenAIRE

    Ziqiang Chi; Minping Jia; Qingsong Xu

    2014-01-01

    Piezoelectric actuator is widely used in the field of micro/nanopositioning. However, piezoelectric hysteresis introduces nonlinearity to the system, which is the major obstacle to achieve a precise positioning. In this paper, the Preisach model is employed to describe the hysteresis characteristic of piezoelectric actuator and an inverse Preisach model is developed to construct a feedforward controller. Considering that the analytical expression of inverse Preisach model is difficult to deri...

  5. Quantitative Examination of Piezoelectric/Seismoelectric Anomalies from Near-Surface Targets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lev Eppelbaum

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The piezoelectric and seismo-electrokinetic phenomena are manifested by electrical and electromagnetic processes that occur in rocks under the influence of elastic oscillations triggered by shots or mechanical impacts. Differences in piezoelectric properties between the studied targets and host media determine the possibilities of the piezoelectric/seismoelectric method application. Over a long time, an interpretation of obtained data is carried out by the use of methods developed in seismic prospecting. Examination of nature of piezoelectric/seismoelectric anomalies observed in subsurface indicates that these may be related (mainly to electric potential field. In this paper, it is shown that quantitative analysis of piezoelectric/seismoelectric anomalies may be performed by the advanced and reliable methodologies developed in magnetic prospecting. Some examples from mining geophysics (Russia and ancient metallurgical site (Israel confirm applicability of the suggested approach.

  6. Hydroelectromechanical modelling of a piezoelectric wave energy converter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renzi, E.

    2016-11-01

    We investigate the hydroelectromechanical-coupled dynamics of a piezoelectric wave energy converter. The converter is made of a flexible bimorph plate, clamped at its ends and forced to motion by incident ocean surface waves. The piezoceramic layers are connected in series and transform the elastic motion of the plate into useful electricity by means of the piezoelectric effect. By using a distributed-parameter analytical approach, we couple the linear piezoelectric constitutive equations for the plate with the potential-flow equations for the surface water waves. The resulting system of governing partial differential equations yields a new hydroelectromechanical dispersion relation, whose complex roots are determined with a numerical approach. The effect of the piezoelectric coupling in the hydroelastic domain generates a system of short- and long-crested weakly damped progressive waves travelling along the plate. We show that the short-crested flexural wave component gives a dominant contribution to the generated power. We determine the hydroelectromechanical resonant periods of the device, at which the power output is significant.

  7. Electricity Generation Characteristics of Energy-Harvesting System with Piezoelectric Element Using Mechanical-Acoustic Coupling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hirotarou Tsuchiya

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the electricity generation characteristics of a new energy-harvesting system with piezoelectric elements. The proposed system is composed of a rigid cylinder and thin plates at both ends. The piezoelectric elements are installed at the centers of both plates, and one side of each plate is subjected to a harmonic point force. In this system, vibration energy is converted into electrical energy via electromechanical coupling between the plate vibration and piezoelectric effect. In addition, the plate vibration excited by the point force induces a self-sustained vibration at the other plate via mechanical-acoustic coupling between the plate vibrations and an internal sound field into the cylindrical enclosure. Therefore, the electricity generation characteristics should be considered as an electromechanical-acoustic coupling problem. The characteristics are estimated theoretically and experimentally from the electric power in the electricity generation, the mechanical power supplied to the plate, and the electricity generation efficiency that is derived from the ratio of both power. In particular, the electricity generation efficiency is one of the most appropriate factors to evaluate a performance of electricity generation systems. Thus, the effect of mechanical-acoustic coupling is principally evaluated by examining the electricity generation efficiency.

  8. Piezoelectric materials as stimulatory biomedical materials and scaffolds for bone repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tandon, Biranche; Blaker, Jonny J; Cartmell, Sarah H

    2018-04-16

    The process of bone repair and regeneration requires multiple physiological cues including biochemical, electrical and mechanical - that act together to ensure functional recovery. Myriad materials have been explored as bioactive scaffolds to deliver these cues locally to the damage site, amongst these piezoelectric materials have demonstrated significant potential for tissue engineering and regeneration, especially for bone repair. Piezoelectric materials have been widely explored for power generation and harvesting, structural health monitoring, and use in biomedical devices. They have the ability to deform with physiological movements and consequently deliver electrical stimulation to cells or damaged tissue without the need of an external power source. Bone itself is piezoelectric and the charges/potentials it generates in response to mechanical activity are capable of enhancing bone growth. Piezoelectric materials are capable of stimulating the physiological electrical microenvironment, and can play a vital role to stimulate regeneration and repair. This review gives an overview of the association of piezoelectric effect with bone repair, and focuses on state-of-the-art piezoelectric materials (polymers, ceramics and their composites), the fabrication routes to produce piezoelectric scaffolds, and their application in bone repair. Important characteristics of these materials from the perspective of bone tissue engineering are highlighted. Promising upcoming strategies and new piezoelectric materials for this application are presented. Electrical stimulation/electrical microenvironment are known effect the process of bone regeneration by altering the cellular response and are crucial in maintaining tissue functionality. Piezoelectric materials, owing to their capability of generating charges/potentials in response to mechanical deformations, have displayed great potential for fabricating smart stimulatory scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The growing

  9. Novel Mechano-Luminescent Sensors Based on Piezoelectric/Electroluminescent Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunzhang Fang

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available A high-sensitivity mechano-luminescent sensor was fabricated on the basis of piezoelectric/electroluminescent composites. The working principle of this mechano-luminescent sensor was elucidated by analyzing the relationship between the piezoelectric-induced charges and the electroluminescent effects. When a stress is applied on the piezoelectric layer, electrical charges will be induced at both the top and bottom sides of the piezoelectric layer. The induced electrical charges will lead to a light output from the electroluminescent layer, thus producing a mechano-luminescence effect. By increasing the vibration strength or frequency applied, the mechano-luminescence output can be obviously enhanced. Mechano-luminescence sensors have potential in smart stress-to-light devices, such as foot-stress-distribution-diagnosis systems and dynamic-load-monitors for bridge hanging cables.

  10. Monitoring of bone healing by piezoelectric-EMI method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazlina, M. H.; Sarpinah, Bibi; Tawie, Rudy; Daho, Claira Dalislone; Annuar, Ishak

    2016-02-01

    Smart Piezoelectric devices which have excellent piezoelectric properties have been employed for various sensor and actuators applications. The work presented here is an attempt to demonstrate the feasibility of bone healing monitoring by using piezoelectric-electromechanical impedance (EMI) method that have several advantages such as low cost, portable, light weight and simplicity in measurement. A Piezoelectric sensor (PZT) has been widely used in damage detection of various structures including concrete, pipes and bones due to their unique sensing and actuating properties. The EMI technique has emerged as a universal Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) tool suitable for almost all engineering materials and structures. The method used for this proposed study consists of put healing agent in the host structure in particular cracks bone to be monitored by PZT-needle sensor which is embedded to the host structure. The measurements were taken in the frequency range between 0.04 to 100 kHz at 1 kHz interval using AD5933 evaluation board. The signals retrieved from the AD5933 evaluation board, were quantify and analyse to obtain Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) percentage value. Measurements were taken every hour for 12 hours. The result from the study shows the feasibility of the piezoelectric-EMI method to effectively detect changes during bone-cracks healing process until the cracks bone is fully recovered.

  11. Design and implementation of a versatile and variable-frequency piezoelectric coefficient measurement system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, J S; Huang, Y K; Wu, F L; Lin, D Y

    2012-08-01

    We present a simple but versatile piezoelectric coefficient measurement system, which can measure the longitudinal and transverse piezoelectric coefficients in the pressing and bending modes, respectively, at different applied forces and a wide range of frequencies. The functionality of this measurement system has been demonstrated on three samples, including a PbZr(0.52)Ti(0.48)O(3) (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic bulk, a ZnO thin film, and a laminated piezoelectric film sensor. The static longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients of the PZT bulk and the ZnO film are estimated to be around 210 and 8.1 pC/N, respectively. The static transverse piezoelectric coefficients of the ZnO film and the piezoelectric film sensor are determined to be, respectively, -0.284 and -0.031 C/m(2).

  12. Vibration energy harvesting based on integrated piezoelectric components operating in different modes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Junhui; Jong, Januar; Zhao, Chunsheng

    2010-01-01

    To increase the vibration energy-harvesting capability of the piezoelectric generator based on a cantilever beam, we have proposed a piezoelectric generator that not only uses the strain change of piezoelectric components bonded on a cantilever beam, but also employs the weights at the tip of the cantilever beam to hit piezoelectric components located on the 2 sides of weights. A prototype of the piezoelectric generator has been fabricated and its characteristics have been measured and analyzed. The experimental results show that the piezoelectric components operating in the hit mode can substantially enhance the energy harvesting of the piezoelectric generator on a cantilever beam. Two methods are used and compared in the management of rectified output voltages from different groups of piezoelectric components. In one of them, the DC voltages from rectifiers are connected in series, and then the total DC voltage is applied to a capacitor. In another connection, the DC voltage from each group is applied to different capacitors. It is found that 22.3% of the harvested energy is wasted due to the series connection. The total output electric energy of our piezoelectric generator at nonresonance could be up to 43 nJ for one vibration excitation applied by spring, with initial vibration amplitude (0-p) of 18 mm and frequency of 18.5 Hz, when the rectified voltages from different groups of piezoelectric components are connected to their individual capacitors. In addition, the motion and impact of the weights at the tip of the cantilever beam are theoretically analyzed, which well explains the experimental phenomena and suggests the measures to improve the generator.

  13. Three-dimensional piezoelectric fibrous scaffolds selectively promote mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damaraju, Sita M; Shen, Yueyang; Elele, Ezinwa; Khusid, Boris; Eshghinejad, Ahmad; Li, Jiangyu; Jaffe, Michael; Arinzeh, Treena Livingston

    2017-12-01

    The discovery of electric fields in biological tissues has led to efforts in developing technologies utilizing electrical stimulation for therapeutic applications. Native tissues, such as cartilage and bone, exhibit piezoelectric behavior, wherein electrical activity can be generated due to mechanical deformation. Yet, the use of piezoelectric materials have largely been unexplored as a potential strategy in tissue engineering, wherein a piezoelectric biomaterial acts as a scaffold to promote cell behavior and the formation of large tissues. Here we show, for the first time, that piezoelectric materials can be fabricated into flexible, three-dimensional fibrous scaffolds and can be used to stimulate human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and corresponding extracellular matrix/tissue formation in physiological loading conditions. Piezoelectric scaffolds that exhibit low voltage output, or streaming potential, promoted chondrogenic differentiation and piezoelectric scaffolds with a high voltage output promoted osteogenic differentiation. Electromechanical stimulus promoted greater differentiation than mechanical loading alone. Results demonstrate the additive effect of electromechanical stimulus on stem cell differentiation, which is an important design consideration for tissue engineering scaffolds. Piezoelectric, smart materials are attractive as scaffolds for regenerative medicine strategies due to their inherent electrical properties without the need for external power sources for electrical stimulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Nonlinear piezoelectricity in epitaxial ferroelectrics at high electric fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grigoriev, Alexei; Sichel, Rebecca; Lee, Ho Nyung; Landahl, Eric C; Adams, Bernhard; Dufresne, Eric M; Evans, Paul G

    2008-01-18

    Nonlinear effects in the coupling of polarization with elastic strain have been predicted to occur in ferroelectric materials subjected to high electric fields. Such predictions are tested here for a PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 ferroelectric thin film at electric fields in the range of several hundred MV/m and strains reaching up to 2.7%. The piezoelectric strain exceeds predictions based on constant piezoelectric coefficients at electric fields from approximately 200 to 400 MV/m, which is consistent with a nonlinear effect predicted to occur at corresponding piezoelectric distortions.

  15. Acoustics of the piezo-electric pressure probe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutt, G. S.

    1974-01-01

    Acoustical properties of a piezoelectric device are reported for measuring the pressure in the plasma flow from an MPD arc. A description and analysis of the acoustical behavior in a piezoelectric probe is presented for impedance matching and damping. The experimental results are presented in a set of oscillographic records.

  16. Erratum to: Elastic and piezoelectric properties, sound velocity and ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Erratum to: Elastic and piezoelectric properties, sound velocity and Debye temperature of (B3) BBi compound under pressure. S DAOUD1,∗, N BIOUD2 and N LEBGAA2. 1Faculté des Sciences et de la Technologie, Université de Bordj Bou Arreridj, 34000, Algeria. 2Laboratoire d'Optoélectronique & Composants, Université ...

  17. Optimal materials selection for bimaterial piezoelectric microactuators

    OpenAIRE

    Srinivasan, P.; Spearing, S.M.

    2008-01-01

    Piezoelectric actuation is one of the commonly employed actuation schemes in microsystems. This paper focuses on identifying and ranking promising active material/substrate combinations for bimaterial piezoelectric (BPE) microactuators based on their performance. The mechanics of BPE structures following simple beam theory assumptions available in the literature are applied to evolve critical performance metrics which govern the materials selection process. Contours of equal performance are p...

  18. Fabrication of flexible piezoelectric PZT/fabric composite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Caifeng; Hong, Daiwei; Wang, Andong; Ni, Chaoying

    2013-01-01

    Flexible piezoelectric PZT/fabric composite material is pliable and tough in nature which is in a lack of traditional PZT patches. It has great application prospect in improving the sensitivity of sensor/actuator made by piezoelectric materials especially when they are used for curved surfaces or complicated conditions. In this paper, glass fiber cloth was adopted as carrier to grow PZT piezoelectric crystal particles by hydrothermal method, and the optimum conditions were studied. The results showed that the soft glass fiber cloth was an ideal kind of carrier. A large number of cubic-shaped PZT nanocrystallines grew firmly in the carrier with a dense and uniform distribution. The best hydrothermal condition was found to be pH 13, reaction time 24 h, and reaction temperature 200°C.

  19. Loss Factor Characterization Methodology for Piezoelectric Ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuang Yuan; Ural, Seyit O; Uchino, Kenji

    2011-01-01

    The key factor for the miniaturization of piezoelectric devices is power density, which is limited by the heat generation or loss mechanisms. There are three loss components for piezoelectric vibrators, i.e., dielectric, elastic and piezoelectric losses. The mechanical quality factor, determined by these three factors, is the figure of merit in the sense of loss or heat generation. In this paper, quality factors of resonance and antiresonance for k 31 , k 33 , and k 15 vibration modes are derived, and the methodology to determine loss factors in various directions is provided. For simplicity, we focus on materials with ∞mm (equivalent to 6mm) crystal symmetry for deriving the loss factors of polycrystalline ceramics, and 16 different loss factors among total 20 can be obtained from the admittance/ impedance measurements.

  20. Diaphragm Pump With Resonant Piezoelectric Drive

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izenson, Michael G.; Kline-Schoder, Robert J.; Shimko, Martin A.

    2007-01-01

    A diaphragm pump driven by a piezoelectric actuator is undergoing development. This pump is intended to be a prototype of lightweight, highly reliable pumps for circulating cooling liquids in protective garments and high-power electronic circuits, and perhaps for some medical applications. The pump would be highly reliable because it would contain no sliding seals or bearings that could wear, the only parts subject to wear would be two check valves, and the diaphragm and other flexing parts could be designed, by use of proven methods, for extremely long life. Because the pump would be capable of a large volumetric flow rate and would have only a small dead volume, its operation would not be disrupted by ingestion of gas, and it could be started reliably under all conditions. The prior art includes a number piezoelectrically actuated diaphragm pumps. Because of the smallness of the motions of piezoelectric actuators (typical maximum strains only about 0.001), the volumetric flow rates of those pumps are much too small for typical cooling applications. In the pump now undergoing development, mechanical resonance would be utilized to amplify the motion generated by the piezoelectric actuator and thereby multiply the volumetric flow rate. The prime mover in this pump would be a stack of piezoelectric ceramic actuators, one end of which would be connected to a spring that would be part of a spring-and-mass resonator structure. The mass part of the resonator structure would include the pump diaphragm (see Figure 1). Contraction of the spring would draw the diaphragm to the left, causing the volume of the fluid chamber to increase and thereby causing fluid to flow into the chamber. Subsequent expansion of the spring would push the diaphragm to the right, causing the volume of the fluid chamber to decrease, and thereby expelling fluid from the chamber. The fluid would enter and leave the chamber through check valves. The piezoelectric stack would be driven electrically to

  1. Energy harvesting from radio frequency propagation using piezoelectric cantilevers

    KAUST Repository

    Al Ahmad, Mahmoud; Alshareef, Husam N.

    2012-01-01

    This work reports an induced strain in a piezoelectric cantilever due to radio frequency signal propagation. The piezoelectric actuator is coupled to radio frequency (RF) line through a gap of 0.25 mm. When a voltage signal of 10 Vpp propagates

  2. Influence of piezoceramic to fused silica plate thickness on the radii of curvature of piezoelectric bimorph mirror

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Libu, M.; Susanth, S.; Vasanthakumari, K. G.; Dileep Kumar, C. J.; Raghu, N.

    2012-01-01

    Piezoelectric based bimorph mirrors (PBM) find extensive use in focusing of x-ray beams. Many optical instruments require use of PBM whose radii of curvature can be tuned precisely. The 100 mm and 300 mm PBMs were fabricated with varying piezoelectric to fused silica plate thicknesses. The radii of curvature of free standing mirrors were measured as a function of voltage and it was found to decrease with increasing voltage. For a given piezoelectric plate thickness, as the fused silica thickness increases, the radii of curvature was found to increase owing to increase in stiffness of the mirror. On the other hand, for a given fused silica plate thickness, when the piezoelectric plate thickness is increased, the radii of curvature are decreased for a given electric field, due to increase in generated force. This study brings out the influence of piezoceramic to fused silica plate thickness on the radii of curvature of PBM.

  3. LEAD-FREE BNKT PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Moosavi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available An actuator is a device that converts input energy into mechanical energy. According to various types of input energy, various actuators have been advanced. Displacement in the electromagnetic, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators achieve by moving a piston via electromagnetic force or pressure, however the piezoelectric actuator (piezoceramic plates displace directly. Therefore, accuracy and speed in the piezoelectric device are higher than other types of actuators. In the present work, the high-field electromechanical response of high-quality (1−x(Bi 0.5Na0.5TiO3–x(Bi0.5K0.5TiO3 samples abbreviated to BNKTx with x = 0.18, 0.20, 0.22 and 0.24 ceramic materials across its MPB was investigated. The piezoelectrics and actuation characteristics were characterized. Ourresults indicate that x = 0.20, indeed, constitutes the best choice for the MPB composition in the system. Maximum of remanent polarization (37.5 μC cm−2 was obtained for x=0.20. High-field electromechanical responses were also obtained for BNKT0.20 samples. This material exhibited giant field induced strains of 0.13% under 1 kV mm -1 at room temperature.

  4. A review of vibration-based MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saadon, Salem; Sidek, Othman [Collaborative Microelectronic Design Excellence Center (CEDEC), School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia)

    2011-01-15

    The simplicity associated with the piezoelectric micro-generators makes it very attractive for MEMS applications, especially for remote systems. In this paper we reviewed the work carried out by researchers during the last three years. The improvements in experimental results obtained in the vibration-based MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters show very good scope for MEMS piezoelectric harvesters in the field of power MEMS in the near future. (author)

  5. A Reactive-Ion Etch for Patterning Piezoelectric Thin Film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Eui-Hyeok; Wild, Larry

    2003-01-01

    Reactive-ion etching (RIE) under conditions described below has been found to be a suitable means for patterning piezoelectric thin films made from such materials as PbZr(1-x)Ti(x)O3 or Ba(x)Sr(1.x)TiO3. In the original application for which this particular RIE process was developed, PbZr(1-x)Ti(x)O3 films 0.5 microns thick are to be sandwiched between Pt electrode layers 0.1 microns thick and Ir electrode layers 0.1 microns thick to form piezoelectric capacitor structures. Such structures are typical of piezoelectric actuators in advanced microelectromechanical systems now under development or planned to be developed in the near future. RIE of PbZr(1-x)Ti(x)O3 is usually considered to involve two major subprocesses: an ion-assisted- etching reaction, and a sputtering subprocess that removes reactive byproducts. RIE is favored over other etching techniques because it offers a potential for a high degree of anisotropy, high-resolution pattern definition, and good process control. However, conventional RIE is not ideal for patterning PbZr(1-x)Ti(x)O3 films at a thickness as great as that in the original intended application. In order to realize the potential benefits mentioned above, it is necessary to optimize process conditions . in particular, the composition of the etching gas and the values of such other process parameters as radio-frequency power, gas pressure, gas-flow rate, and duration of the process. Guidelines for determining optimum conditions can be obtained from experimental determination of etch rates as functions of these parameters. Etch-gas mixtures of BCl3 and Cl2, some also including Ar, have been found to offer a high degree of selectivity as needed for patterning of PbZr(1-x)Ti(x)O3 films on top of Ir electrode layers in thin-film capacitor structures. The selectivity is characterized by a ratio of approx.10:1 (rate of etching PbZr(1-x)Ti(x)O3 divided by rate of etching Ir and IrO(x)). At the time of reporting the information for this article

  6. Investigating the Electromechanical Coupling in Piezoelectric Actuator Drive Motor Under Heavy Load

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zsurzsan, Tiberiu-Gabriel; Andersen, Michael A. E.; Zhang, Zhe

    2014-01-01

    The Piezoelectric Actuator Drive (PAD) is an accurate, high-torque rotary piezoelectric motor that employs piezoelectric stack actuators and inverse hypocycloidal motion to generate rotation. Important factors that determine motor performance are the proper concentric alignment between the motor...

  7. Enhanced piezoelectric effect at the edges of stepped molybdenum disulfide nanosheets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xiaoxue; Hui, Fei; Gilmore, Keith; Wang, Bingru; Jing, Guangyin; Fan, Zhongchao; Grustan-Gutierrez, Enric; Shi, Yuanyuan; Lombardi, Lucia; Hodge, Stephen A; Ferrari, Andrea C; Lanza, Mario

    2017-05-18

    The development of piezoelectric layered materials may be one of the key elements enabling expansion of nanotechnology, as they offer a solution for the construction of efficient transducers for a wide range of applications, including self-powered devices. Here, we investigate the piezoelectric effect in multilayer (ML) stepped MoS 2 flakes obtained by liquid-phase exfoliation, which is especially interesting because it may allow the scalable fabrication of electronic devices using large area deposition techniques (e.g. solution casting, spray coating, inkjet printing). By using a conductive atomic force microscope we map the piezoelectricity of the MoS 2 flakes at the nanoscale. Our experiments demonstrate the presence of electrical current densities above 100 A cm -2 when the flakes are strained in the absence of bias, and the current increases proportional to the bias. Simultaneously collected topographic and current maps demonstrate that the edges of stepped ML MoS 2 flakes promote the piezoelectric effect, where the largest currents are observed. Density functional theory calculations are consistent with the ring-like piezoelectric potential generated when the flakes are strained, as well as the enhanced piezoelectric effect at edges. Our results pave the way to the design of piezoelectric devices using layered materials.

  8. Piezoelectric Polymer Ultrasound Transducers and Its Biomedical Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ha, Kang Lyeol; Cao, Yanggang [Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-10-15

    PVDF(poly vinylidene fluoride) and P(VDF-TrFE)(poly vinylidene fluoride-tetrafluoroethylene) are the typical piezoelectric polymers with unique properties. Even they are inferior to conventional piezoelectric ceramics PZT in electromechanical conversion efficiency and interior loss, though they are superior in receiving sensitivity and frequency bandwidth. Their acoustic impedances are relatively close to water or biological tissue and it is easier to make thin film than other piezoelectric materials. Furthermore, the film is so flexible that it is easy to attach on a complex surface. Those properties are suitable for the ultrasound transducers which are useful for medical and biological application, so that various types of polymer transducers have been developed. In this paper, several important considerations for design and fabrication of piezoelectric polymer transducers were described and their effect on the transducer performance were demonstrated through the KLM model analysis. Then, it was briefly reviewed about the structures of the polymer transducers developed for obtaining images as well as the characteristics of the images in several important medical and biological application fields.

  9. Iterative Learning Control of Hysteresis in Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guilin Zhang

    2014-01-01

    input in hysteretic systems. In the analysis, the Prandtl-Ishlinskii model is utilized to capture the nonlinear behavior in piezoelectric actuators. Finally, we apply the control algorithm to an experimental piezoelectric actuator and conclude that the tracking error is reduced to 0.15% of the total displacement, which is approximately the noise level of the sensor measurement.

  10. Subatomic deformation driven by vertical piezoelectricity from CdS ultrathin films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xuewen; He, Xuexia; Zhu, Hongfei; Sun, Linfeng; Fu, Wei; Wang, Xingli; Hoong, Lai Chee; Wang, Hong; Zeng, Qingsheng; Zhao, Wu; Wei, Jun; Jin, Zhong; Shen, Zexiang; Liu, Jie; Zhang, Ting; Liu, Zheng

    2016-07-01

    Driven by the development of high-performance piezoelectric materials, actuators become an important tool for positioning objects with high accuracy down to nanometer scale, and have been used for a wide variety of equipment, such as atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. However, positioning at the subatomic scale is still a great challenge. Ultrathin piezoelectric materials may pave the way to positioning an object with extreme precision. Using ultrathin CdS thin films, we demonstrate vertical piezoelectricity in atomic scale (three to five space lattices). With an in situ scanning Kelvin force microscopy and single and dual ac resonance tracking piezoelectric force microscopy, the vertical piezoelectric coefficient (d 33) up to 33 pm·V(-1) was determined for the CdS ultrathin films. These findings shed light on the design of next-generation sensors and microelectromechanical devices.

  11. Progress in engineering high strain lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leontsev, Serhiy O; Eitel, Richard E

    2010-01-01

    Environmental concerns are strongly driving the need to replace the lead-based piezoelectric materials currently employed as multilayer actuators. The current review describes both compositional and structural engineering approaches to achieve enhanced piezoelectric properties in lead-free materials. The review of the compositional engineering approach focuses on compositional tuning of the properties and phase behavior in three promising families of lead-free perovskite ferroelectrics: the titanate, alkaline niobate and bismuth perovskites and their solid solutions. The 'structural engineering' approaches focus instead on optimization of microstructural features including grain size, grain orientation or texture, ferroelectric domain size and electrical bias field as potential paths to induce large piezoelectric properties in lead-free piezoceramics. It is suggested that a combination of both compositional and novel structural engineering approaches will be required in order to realize viable lead-free alternatives to current lead-based materials for piezoelectric actuator applications. (topical review)

  12. Progress in engineering high strain lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leontsev, Serhiy O; Eitel, Richard E

    2010-01-01

    Environmental concerns are strongly driving the need to replace the lead-based piezoelectric materials currently employed as multilayer actuators. The current review describes both compositional and structural engineering approaches to achieve enhanced piezoelectric properties in lead-free materials. The review of the compositional engineering approach focuses on compositional tuning of the properties and phase behavior in three promising families of lead-free perovskite ferroelectrics: the titanate, alkaline niobate and bismuth perovskites and their solid solutions. The ‘structural engineering’ approaches focus instead on optimization of microstructural features including grain size, grain orientation or texture, ferroelectric domain size and electrical bias field as potential paths to induce large piezoelectric properties in lead-free piezoceramics. It is suggested that a combination of both compositional and novel structural engineering approaches will be required in order to realize viable lead-free alternatives to current lead-based materials for piezoelectric actuator applications. PMID:27877343

  13. In situ health monitoring of piezoelectric sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Scott L. (Inventor); Drouant, George J. (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    An in situ health monitoring apparatus may include an exciter circuit that applies a pulse to a piezoelectric transducer and a data processing system that determines the piezoelectric transducer's dynamic response to the first pulse. The dynamic response can be used to evaluate the operating range, health, and as-mounted resonance frequency of the transducer, as well as the strength of a coupling between the transducer and a structure and the health of the structure.

  14. Energy harvesting performance of piezoelectric ceramic and polymer nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crossley, Sam; Kar-Narayan, Sohini

    2015-01-01

    Energy harvesting from ubiquitous ambient vibrations is attractive for autonomous small-power applications and thus considerable research is focused on piezoelectric materials as they permit direct inter-conversion of mechanical and electrical energy. Nanogenerators (NGs) based on piezoelectric nanowires are particularly attractive due to their sensitivity to small-scale vibrations and may possess superior mechanical-to-electrical conversion efficiency when compared to bulk or thin-film devices of the same material. However, candidate piezoelectric nanowires have hitherto been predominantly analyzed in terms of NG output (i.e. output voltage, output current and output power density). Surprisingly, the corresponding dynamical properties of the NG, including details of how the nanowires are mechanically driven and its impact on performance, have been largely neglected. Here we investigate all realizable NG driving contexts separately involving inertial displacement, applied stress T and applied strain S, highlighting the effect of driving mechanism and frequency on NG performance in each case. We argue that, in the majority of cases, the intrinsic high resonance frequencies of piezoelectric nanowires (∼tens of MHz) present no barrier to high levels of NG performance even at frequencies far below resonance (<1 kHz) typically characteristic of ambient vibrations. In this context, we introduce vibrational energy harvesting (VEH) coefficients η S and η T , based on intrinsic materials properties, for comparing piezoelectric NG performance under strain-driven and stress-driven conditions respectively. These figures of merit permit, for the first time, a general comparison of piezoelectric nanowires for NG applications that takes into account the nature of the mechanical excitation. We thus investigate the energy harvesting performance of prototypical piezoelectric ceramic and polymer nanowires. We find that even though ceramic and polymer nanowires have been found, in

  15. Model and Design of a Power Driver for Piezoelectric Stack Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiaberge M

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available A power driver has been developed to control piezoelectric stack actuators used in automotive application. An FEM model of the actuator has been implemented starting from experimental characterization of the stack and mechanical and piezoelectric parameters. Experimental results are reported to show a correct piezoelectric actuator driving method and the possibility to obtain a sensorless positioning control.

  16. Mathematical model and characteristic analysis of hybrid photovoltaic/piezoelectric actuation mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Jing; Li, Xiaonan; Ding, Jincheng; Yue, Honghao; Deng, Zongquan

    2016-12-01

    Photovoltaic materials can turn light energy into electric energy directly, and thus have the advantages of high electrical output voltages and the ability to realize remote or non-contact control. When high-energy ultraviolet light illuminates polarized PbLaZrTi (PLZT) materials, high photovoltages will be generated along the spontaneous polarization direction due to the photovoltaic effect. In this paper, a novel hybrid photovoltaic/piezoelectric actuation mechanism is proposed. PLZT ceramics are used as a photovoltaic generator to drive a piezoelectric actuator. A mathematical model is established to define the time history of the actuation voltage between two electrodes of the piezoelectric actuator, which is experimentally validated by the test results of a piezoelectric actuator with different geometrical parameters under irradiation at different light intensities. Some important characteristics of this novel actuation mechanism are analyzed and it can be concluded that (1) it is experimentally validated that there is no hysteresis between voltage and deformation which exists in a PLZT actuator; (2) the saturated voltage and response speed can be improved by using a multi-patch PLZT generator to drive the piezoelectric actuator; and (3) the initial voltage of the piezoelectric actuator can be acquired by controlling the logical switch between the PLZT and the piezoelectric actuator while the initial voltages increase with the rise of light intensity.

  17. A new piezoelectric energy harvesting design concept: multimodal energy harvesting skin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Soobum; Youn, Byeng D

    2011-03-01

    This paper presents an advanced design concept for a piezoelectric energy harvesting (EH), referred to as multimodal EH skin. This EH design facilitates the use of multimodal vibration and enhances power harvesting efficiency. The multimodal EH skin is an extension of our previous work, EH skin, which was an innovative design paradigm for a piezoelectric energy harvester: a vibrating skin structure and an additional thin piezoelectric layer in one device. A computational (finite element) model of the multilayered assembly - the vibrating skin structure and piezoelectric layer - is constructed and the optimal topology and/or shape of the piezoelectric layer is found for maximum power generation from multiple vibration modes. A design rationale for the multimodal EH skin was proposed: designing a piezoelectric material distribution and external resistors. In the material design step, the piezoelectric material is segmented by inflection lines from multiple vibration modes of interests to minimize voltage cancellation. The inflection lines are detected using the voltage phase. In the external resistor design step, the resistor values are found for each segment to maximize power output. The presented design concept, which can be applied to any engineering system with multimodal harmonic-vibrating skins, was applied to two case studies: an aircraft skin and a power transformer panel. The excellent performance of multimodal EH skin was demonstrated, showing larger power generation than EH skin without segmentation or unimodal EH skin.

  18. Fuzzy PID Feedback Control of Piezoelectric Actuator with Feedforward Compensation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziqiang Chi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric actuator is widely used in the field of micro/nanopositioning. However, piezoelectric hysteresis introduces nonlinearity to the system, which is the major obstacle to achieve a precise positioning. In this paper, the Preisach model is employed to describe the hysteresis characteristic of piezoelectric actuator and an inverse Preisach model is developed to construct a feedforward controller. Considering that the analytical expression of inverse Preisach model is difficult to derive and not suitable for practical application, a digital inverse model is established based on the input and output data of a piezoelectric actuator. Moreover, to mitigate the compensation error of the feedforward control, a feedback control scheme is implemented using different types of control algorithms in terms of PID control, fuzzy control, and fuzzy PID control. Extensive simulation studies are carried out using the three kinds of control systems. Comparative investigation reveals that the fuzzy PID control system with feedforward compensation is capable of providing quicker response and better control accuracy than the other two ones. It provides a promising way of precision control for piezoelectric actuator.

  19. Characterization of Piezoelectric Actuators for Flow Control over a Wing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mossi, Karla M.; Bryant, Robert G.

    2004-01-01

    During the past decade, piezoelectric actuators as the active element in synthetic jets demonstrated that they could significantly enhance the overall lift on an airfoil. However, durability, system weight, size, and power have limited their use outside a laboratory. These problems are not trivial, since piezoelectric actuators are physically brittle and display limited displacement. The objective of this study is to characterize the relevant properties for the design of a synthetic jet utilizing three types of piezoelectric actuators as mechanical diaphragms, Radial Field Diaphragms, Thunders, and Bimorphs so that the shape cavity volume does not exceed 147.5 cubic centimeters on a 7centimeter x 7centimeter aerial coverage. These piezoelectric elements were selected because of their geometry, and overall free-displacement. Each actuator was affixed about its perimeter in a cavity, and relevant parameters such as clamped displacement variations with voltage and frequency, air velocities produced through an aperture, and sound pressure levels produced by the piezoelectric diaphragms were measured.

  20. Piezoelectric strained layer semiconductor lasers and integrated modulators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fleischmann, Thomas

    2002-01-01

    room temperature under continuous wave operation. Finally, optical signal modulation is demonstrated using a two-section configuration. Large bias dependent bistability was observed with a relative hystersis width of up to 23.4 % and a contrast ratio of 1:16. Due to the presence of the piezoelectric field significant modulation of the optical output power is possible without the need for additional processing steps such as quantum well intermixing or selective area epitaxy. Depending on the device geometry, extinction ratios of up to 11 dB were measured. Furthermore, discontinuous wavelength modulation is demonstrated with a change in wavelength of up to 12 nm when switching the bias at the absorber section from reverse to forward. (author)

  1. A mechatronic power boosting design for piezoelectric generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Haili; Liang, Junrui; Ge, Cong

    2015-01-01

    It was shown that the piezoelectric power generation can be boosted by using the synchronized switch power conditioning circuits. This letter reports a self-powered and self-sensing mechatronic design in substitute of the auxiliary electronics towards a compact and universal synchronized switch solution. The design criteria are derived based on the conceptual waveforms and a two-degree-of-freedom analytical model. Experimental result shows that, compared to the standard bridge rectifier interface, the mechatronic design leads to an extra 111% increase of generated power from the prototyped piezoelectric generator under the same deflection magnitude excitation. The proposed design has introduced a valuable physical insight of electromechanical synergy towards the improvement of piezoelectric power generation

  2. A mechatronic power boosting design for piezoelectric generators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Haili; Liang, Junrui, E-mail: liangjr@shanghaitech.edu.cn; Ge, Cong [School of Information Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, No. 8 Building, 319 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031 (China)

    2015-10-05

    It was shown that the piezoelectric power generation can be boosted by using the synchronized switch power conditioning circuits. This letter reports a self-powered and self-sensing mechatronic design in substitute of the auxiliary electronics towards a compact and universal synchronized switch solution. The design criteria are derived based on the conceptual waveforms and a two-degree-of-freedom analytical model. Experimental result shows that, compared to the standard bridge rectifier interface, the mechatronic design leads to an extra 111% increase of generated power from the prototyped piezoelectric generator under the same deflection magnitude excitation. The proposed design has introduced a valuable physical insight of electromechanical synergy towards the improvement of piezoelectric power generation.

  3. Modelling piezoelectric energy harvesting potential in an educational building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Xiaofeng; Strezov, Vladimir

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Energy harvesting potential of commercialized piezoelectric tiles is analyzed. • The parameters which will affect the energy harvesting efficiency are determined. • The potential could cover 0.5% of the total energy usage of the library building. • A simplified evaluation indicator is proposed to test the considered paving area. - Abstract: In this paper, potential application of a commercial piezoelectric energy harvester in a central hub building at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia is examined and discussed. Optimization of the piezoelectric tile deployment is presented according to the frequency of pedestrian mobility and a model is developed where 3.1% of the total floor area with the highest pedestrian mobility is paved with piezoelectric tiles. The modelling results indicate that the total annual energy harvesting potential for the proposed optimized tile pavement model is estimated at 1.1 MW h/year. This potential energy generation may be further increased to 9.9 MW h/year with a possible improvement in piezoelectric energy conversion efficiency integrated into the system. This energy harvesting potential would be sufficient to meet close to 0.5% of the annual energy needs of the building. The study confirms that locating high traffic areas is critical for optimization of the energy harvesting efficiency, as well as the orientation of the tile pavement significantly affects the total amount of the harvested energy. A Density Flow evaluation is recommended in this study to qualitatively evaluate the piezoelectric power harvesting potential of the considered area based on the number of pedestrian crossings per unit time

  4. Surface effects on the electroelastic responses of a thin piezoelectric plate with nanoscale thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Zhi; Jiang Liying

    2012-01-01

    This work aims to investigate the electroelastic responses of a thin piezoelectric plate under mechanical and electrical loads with the consideration of surface effects. Surface effects, including surface elasticity, residual surface stress and surface piezoelectricity, are incorporated into the conventional Kirchhoff plate theory for a piezoelectric plate via the surface piezoelectricity model and the generalized Young-Laplace equations. Different from the results predicted by the conventional plate theory ignoring the surface effects, the proposed model predicts size-dependent behaviours of the piezoelectric thin plate with nanoscale thickness. It is found that surface effects have significant influence on the electroelastic responses of the piezoelectric nanoplate. This work is expected to provide more accurate predictions on characterizing nanofilm or nanoribbon based piezoelectric devices in nanoelectromechanical systems. (paper)

  5. Noncontact inspection laser system for characterization of piezoelectric samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jimenez, F.J.; Frutos, J. de

    2004-01-01

    In this work measurements on a piezoelectric sample in dynamic behavior were taken, in particular, around the frequencies of resonance for the sample where the nonlineal effects are accentuated. Dimension changes in the sample need to be studied as that will allow a more reliable characterization of the piezoelectric samples. The goal of this research is to develop an inspection system able to obtain measurements, using a noncontact laser displacement transducer, also able to visualize, in three-dimensional graphic environment, the displacement that takes place in a piezoelectric sample surface. In resonant mode, the vibration mode of the sample is visualized

  6. 3D optical printing of piezoelectric nanoparticle-polymer composite materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kanguk; Zhu, Wei; Qu, Xin; Aaronson, Chase; McCall, William R; Chen, Shaochen; Sirbuly, Donald J

    2014-10-28

    Here we demonstrate that efficient piezoelectric nanoparticle-polymer composite materials can be optically printed into three-dimensional (3D) microstructures using digital projection printing. Piezoelectric polymers were fabricated by incorporating barium titanate (BaTiO3, BTO) nanoparticles into photoliable polymer solutions such as polyethylene glycol diacrylate and exposing to digital optical masks that could be dynamically altered to generate user-defined 3D microstructures. To enhance the mechanical-to-electrical conversion efficiency of the composites, the BTO nanoparticles were chemically modified with acrylate surface groups, which formed direct covalent linkages with the polymer matrix under light exposure. The composites with a 10% mass loading of the chemically modified BTO nanoparticles showed piezoelectric coefficients (d(33)) of ∼ 40 pC/N, which were over 10 times larger than composites synthesized with unmodified BTO nanoparticles and over 2 times larger than composites containing unmodified BTO nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes to boost mechanical stress transfer efficiencies. These results not only provide a tool for fabricating 3D piezoelectric polymers but lay the groundwork for creating highly efficient piezoelectric polymer materials via nanointerfacial tuning.

  7. Optimization of electrode geometry and piezoelectric layer thickness of a deformable mirror

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nováková Kateřina

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Deformable mirrors are the most commonly used wavefront correctors in adaptive optics systems. Nowadays, many applications of adaptive optics to astronomical telescopes, high power laser systems, and similar fast response optical devices require large diameter deformable mirrors with a fast response time and high actuator stroke. In order to satisfy such requirements, deformable mirrors based on piezoelectric layer composite structures have become a subject of intense scientific research during last two decades. In this paper, we present an optimization of several geometric parameters of a deformable mirror that consists of a nickel reflective layer deposited on top of a thin lead zirconate titanate (PZT piezoelectric disk. Honeycomb structure of gold electrodes is deposited on the bottom of the PZT layer. The analysis of the optimal thickness ratio between the PZT and nickel layers is performed to get the maximum actuator stroke using the finite element method. The effect of inter-electrode distance on the actuator stroke and influence function is investigated. Applicability and manufacturing issues are discussed.

  8. Analysis of the transfer function for layered piezoelectric ultrasonic sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Gutiérrrez-Reyes

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available We model theoretically the voltage response to an acoustic pulse of a multilayer system forming a low noise capacitive sensor including a Polyvinylidene Fluoride piezoelectric film. First we model a generic piezoelectric detector consisting of a piezoelectric film between two metallic electrodes that are the responsible to convert the acoustic signal into a voltage signal. Then we calculate the pressure-to-voltage transfer function for a N-layer piezo-electric capacitor detector, allowing to study the effects of the electrode and protective layers thickness in typical layered piezoelectric sensors. The derived transfer function, when multiplied by the Fourier transform of the incident acoustic pulse, gives the voltage electric response in the frequency domain. An important concern regarding the transfer function is that it may have zeros at specific frequencies, and thus inverting the voltage Fourier transform of the pulse to recover the pressure signal in the time domain is not always, in principle, possible. Our formulas can be used to predict the existence and locations of such zeroes. We illustrate the use of the transfer function by predicting the electric signal generated at a multilayer piezoelectric sensor to an ultrasonic pulse generated photoacoustically by a laser pulse at a three media system with impedance mismatch. This theoretical calculations are compared with our own experimental measurements.

  9. Deflection of Cross-Ply Composite Laminates Induced by Piezoelectric Actuators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi-Sheng Lin

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The coupling effects between the mechanical and electric properties of piezoelectric materials have drawn significant attention for their potential applications as sensors and actuators. In this investigation, two piezoelectric actuators are symmetrically surface bonded on a cross-ply composite laminate. Electric voltages with the same amplitude and opposite sign are applied to the two symmetric piezoelectric actuators, resulting in the bending effect on the laminated plate. The bending moment is derived by using the classical laminate theory and piezoelectricity. The analytical solution of the flexural displacement of the simply supported composite plate subjected to the bending moment is solved by using the plate theory. The analytical solution is compared with the finite element solution to show the validation of present approach. The effects of the size and location of the piezoelectric actuators on the response of the composite laminate are presented through a parametric study. A simple model incorporating the classical laminate theory and plate theory is presented to predict the deformed shape of the simply supported laminate plate.

  10. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and possible effects of in utero testosterone: evidence from the 2D:4D finger length ratio

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rizwan, S.; Manning, J. T.; Brabin, B. J.

    2007-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is linked to high fetal testosterone (FT), and an increased risk in offspring for autism, ADHD, conduct disorder, antisocial behaviour and criminal outcomes. The ratio of the length of the 2nd and 4th fingers (2D:4D) is thought to be negatively related

  11. A new smart traffic monitoring method using embedded cement-based piezoelectric sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Jinrui; Lu, Youyuan; Lu, Zeyu; Liu, Chao; Sun, Guoxing; Li, Zongjin

    2015-01-01

    Cement-based piezoelectric composites are employed as the sensing elements of a new smart traffic monitoring system. The piezoelectricity of the cement-based piezoelectric sensors enables powerful and accurate real-time detection of the pressure induced by the traffic flow. To describe the mechanical-electrical conversion mechanism between traffic flow and the electrical output of the embedded piezoelectric sensors, a mathematical model is established based on Duhamel’s integral, the constitutive law and the charge-leakage characteristics of the piezoelectric composite. Laboratory tests show that the voltage magnitude of the sensor is linearly proportional to the applied pressure, which ensures the reliability of the cement-based piezoelectric sensors for traffic monitoring. A series of on-site road tests by a 10 tonne truck and a 6.8 tonne van show that vehicle weight-in-motion can be predicted based on the mechanical-electrical model by taking into account the vehicle speed and the charge-leakage property of the piezoelectric sensor. In the speed range from 20 km h −1 to 70 km h −1 , the error of the repeated weigh-in-motion measurements of the 6.8 tonne van is less than 1 tonne. The results indicate that the embedded cement-based piezoelectric sensors and associated measurement setup have good capability of smart traffic monitoring, such as traffic flow detection, vehicle speed detection and weigh-in-motion measurement. (paper)

  12. Wurtzite BAlN and BGaN alloys for heterointerface polarization engineering

    KAUST Repository

    Liu, Kaikai

    2017-11-30

    The spontaneous polarization (SP) and piezoelectric (PZ) constants of BxAl1-xN and BxGa1-xN (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) ternary alloys were calculated with the hexagonal structure as reference. The SP constants show moderate nonlinearity due to the volume deformation and the dipole moment difference between the hexagonal and wurtzite structures. The PZ constants exhibit significant bowing because of the large lattice difference between binary alloys. Furthermore, the PZ constants of BxAl1-xN and BxGa1-xN become zero at boron compositions of ∼87% and ∼74%, respectively, indicating non-piezoelectricity. The large range of SP and PZ constants of BxAl1-xN (BAlN) and BxGa1-xN (BGaN) can be beneficial for the compound semiconductor device development. For instance, zero heterointerface polarization ΔP can be formed for BAlN and BGaN based heterojunctions with proper B compositions, potentially eliminating the quantum-confined Stark effect for c-plane optical devices and thus removing the need of non-polar layers and substrates. Besides, large heterointerface polarization ΔP is available that is desirable for electronic devices.

  13. Millipede-inspired locomotion through novel U-shaped piezoelectric motors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avirovik, Dragan; Butenhoff, Bryan; Priya, Shashank

    2014-01-01

    We report a novel piezoelectric motor that operates at a resonance frequency of 144 Hz, much lower than that of conventional ultrasonic motors, and meets the displacement and gait requirements for designing the locomotion mechanism of a millipede-inspired robot (millibot). The motor structure consists of two piezoelectric bimorphs arranged in a U-shaped configuration. Using the first bending mode for both the piezoelectric bimorphs an elliptical motion was obtained at the tip which led to the successful implementation of millipede inspired locomotion. At an input voltage of 70.7 V rms , the piezoelectric motor operating at resonance frequency was able to generate torque of 0.03 mN m, mechanical power of 0.84 mW and maximum velocity of 62 rad s −1 . Detailed discussion is provided about the principle of operation of the millibot. (technical note)

  14. Bending-induced electromechanical coupling and large piezoelectric response in a micromachined diaphragm

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Zhihong

    2013-11-04

    We investigated the dependence of electromechanical coupling and the piezoelectric response of a micromachined Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48)O 3 (PZT) diaphragm on its curvature by observing the impedance spectrum and central deflection responses to a small AC voltage. The curvature of the diaphragm was controlled by applying air pressure to its back. We found that a depolarized flat diaphragm does not initially exhibit electromechanical coupling or the piezoelectric response. However, upon the application of static air pressure to the diaphragm, both electromechanical coupling and the piezoelectric response can be induced in the originally depolarized diaphragm. The piezoelectric response increases as the curvature increases and a giant piezoelectric response can be obtained from a bent diaphragm. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that a high strain gradient in a diaphragm can polarize a PZT film through a flexoelectric effect, and that the induced piezoelectric response of the diaphragm can be controlled by adjusting its curvature.

  15. Characterization of Direct Piezoelectric Properties for Vibration Energy Harvesting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshimura, Takeshi; Miyabuchi, Hiroki; Ashida, Atsushi; Fujimura, Norifumi [Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8531 (Japan); Murakami, Syuichi, E-mail: tyoshi@pe.osakafu-u.ac.jp [Technology Research Institute of Osaka Prefecture, 2-7-1 Ayumino, Izumi, Osaka, 594-1157 (Japan)

    2011-10-29

    Direct piezoelectric effect of Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} (PZT) thin films was investigated to discuss the application of ferroelectric films to vibration energy harvesting. From the model of the piezoelectric vibration energy harvester, it was found that the figure of merit (FOM) is proportional of the square of the effective transverse piezoelectric coefficient e{sub 31,f}. The e{sub 31,f} coefficient of PZT films were measured by substrate bending method. Furthermore, it was found that the e{sub 31,f} coefficient increases with increasing strain, which is favourable for the vibration energy harvesting.

  16. 3D, wideband vibro-impacting-based piezoelectric energy harvester

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Qiangmo; Yang, Jin, E-mail: yangjin@cqu.edu.cn; Yue, Xihai; Yang, Aichao; Zhao, Jiangxin; Zhao, Nian; Wen, Yumei; Li, Ping [Department of Optoelectronic Engineering, Research Center of Sensors and Instruments, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

    2015-04-15

    An impacting-based piezoelectric energy harvester was developed to address the limitations of the existing approaches in single-dimensional operation as well as a narrow working bandwidth. In the harvester, a spiral cylindrical spring rather than the conventional thin cantilever beam was utilized to extract the external vibration with arbitrary directions, which has the capability to impact the surrounding piezoelectric beams to generate electricity. And the introduced vibro-impacting between the spiral cylindrical spring and multi-piezoelectric-beams resulted in not only a three-dimensional response to external vibration, but also a bandwidth-broadening behavior. The experimental results showed that each piezoelectric beam exhibited a maximum bandwidth of 8 Hz and power of 41 μW with acceleration of 1 g (with g=9.8 ms{sup −2}) along the z-axis, and corresponding average values of 5 Hz and 45 μW with acceleration of 0.6 g in the x-y plane. .

  17. 3D, wideband vibro-impacting-based piezoelectric energy harvester

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Qiangmo; Yang, Jin; Yue, Xihai; Yang, Aichao; Zhao, Jiangxin; Zhao, Nian; Wen, Yumei; Li, Ping

    2015-01-01

    An impacting-based piezoelectric energy harvester was developed to address the limitations of the existing approaches in single-dimensional operation as well as a narrow working bandwidth. In the harvester, a spiral cylindrical spring rather than the conventional thin cantilever beam was utilized to extract the external vibration with arbitrary directions, which has the capability to impact the surrounding piezoelectric beams to generate electricity. And the introduced vibro-impacting between the spiral cylindrical spring and multi-piezoelectric-beams resulted in not only a three-dimensional response to external vibration, but also a bandwidth-broadening behavior. The experimental results showed that each piezoelectric beam exhibited a maximum bandwidth of 8 Hz and power of 41 μW with acceleration of 1 g (with g=9.8 ms −2 ) along the z-axis, and corresponding average values of 5 Hz and 45 μW with acceleration of 0.6 g in the x-y plane. 

  18. Characterization of piezoelectric materials for simultaneous strain and temperature sensing for ultra-low frequency applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Islam, Mohammad Nouroz; Seethaler, Rudolf; Alam, M Shahria

    2015-01-01

    Piezoelectric materials are used extensively in a number of sensing applications ranging from aerospace industries to medical diagnostics. Piezoelectric materials generate charge when they are subjected to strain. However, since measuring charge is difficult at low frequencies, traditional piezoelectric sensors are limited to dynamic applications. In this research an alternative technique is proposed to determine static strain that relies upon the measurement of piezoelectric capacitance and resistance using piezoelectric sensors. To demonstrate the validity of this approach, the capacitance and resistance of a piezoelectric patch sensor was characterized for a wide range of strain and temperature. The study shows that the piezoelectric capacitance is sensitive to both strain and temperature while the resistance is mostly dependent on the temperature variation. The findings can be implemented to obtain thermally compensated static strain from piezoelectric sensors, which does not require an additional temperature sensor. (paper)

  19. Improvement of the piezoelectric properties of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites by poling treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oh, S M; Hwang, H Y

    2013-01-01

    Recently, a new non-destructive method has been proposed for damage monitoring of glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials using the piezoelectric characteristics of a polymeric matrix. Several studies of the piezoelectric properties of unidirectional glass fiber epoxy composites and damage monitoring of double-cantilever beams have supported the claim that the piezoelectric method is feasible and powerful enough to monitor the damage of glass fiber epoxy composites. Generally, conventional piezoelectric materials have higher piezoelectric characteristics through poling treatment. In this work, we investigated the change of the piezoelectric properties of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites before and after poling treatment. The piezoelectric constants (d 33 ) of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites increased by more than 400%. Also, x-ray diffraction tests revealed that poling treatment changed the degree of crystallinity of the epoxy matrix, and this led to the improvement of the piezoelectric characteristics of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites. (paper)

  20. Fabrication and Characterization of Aligned Flexible Lead-Free Piezoelectric Nanofibers for Wearable Device Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sang Hyun Ji

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Flexible lead-free piezoelectric nanofibers, based on BNT-ST (0.78Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.22SrTiO3 ceramic and poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE copolymers, were fabricated by an electrospinning method and the effects of the degree of alignment in the nanofibers on the piezoelectric characteristics were investigated. The microstructure of the lead-free piezoelectric nanofibers was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM and the orientation was analyzed by fast Fourier transform (FFT images. X-ray diffraction (XRD analysis confirmed that the phase was not changed by the electrospinning process and maintained a perovskite phase. Polarization-electric field (P-E loops and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM were used to investigate the piezoelectric properties of the piezoelectric nanofibers, according to the degree of alignment—the well aligned piezoelectric nanofibers had higher piezoelectric properties. Furthermore, the output voltage of the aligned lead-free piezoelectric nanofibers was measured according to the vibration frequency and the bending motion and the aligned piezoelectric nanofibers with a collector rotation speed of 1500 rpm performed the best.