IM2654

Smart Electronic Materials

Piezoelectric Material and Applications

Chia Wei Xian

1
 Contents

Introduction
How Piezoelectric Material work
Limitations of Piezoelectric materials
Current applications of Piezoelectric Materials
Future developments of Piezoelectric Materials

2
Introduction

What are Smart Materials

Types of Smart Materials
What is Piezoelectricity?
Examples of Piezoelectric materials

3
What are Smart Materials?

"Smart" materials respond to environmental

stimuli with particular changes in some
variables. For that reason they are often also
called responsive materials.

4
Types of Smart Materials
Colour changing materials:
Thermochromic materials

Light emitting materials :

Fluorescent materials;
Electroluminescent materials

Moving materials :
Shape memory alloys (SMA);
Piezoelectric materials

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Types of Smart Materials

A Nickel-Titanium spring
in coffeepots marketed
in Japan is trained to
open a valve and
release hot water at the
proper temperature to
brew a perfect pot of
coffee.

How can it be used in

shower heaters?

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Types of Smart Materials
Colour changing materials:
Thermochromic materials;
Photochromic materials

Light emitting materials :

Fluorescent materials;
Electroluminescent materials

Moving materials :
Shape memory alloys (SMA);
Piezoelectric materials
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What are Piezoeletric materials?

The piezoelectric effect describes the relation

between a mechanical stress and an electrical
voltage in solids.

8
Examples of Piezoeletric materials
Piezoelectric materials can be divided in 2 main
groups: crystals and ceramics.
Crystals
Quartz SiO2
Gallium orthophosphate
GaPO4
Ceramics
Barium Titanate BaTiO3
Lead Zirconate Titanate PZT
Polymers
Polyvinylidene DiFluoride PVDF
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How Piezoelectric Material work?
Piezoelectric materials are
crystalline solids whose
asymmetric structures create
an electric dipole moment in
Ion charges Unbalanced the crystal lattice, which
neutralized ions charge
in unstrained surface of is sensitive to both elastic
crystal strained
materials
strain and applied
electrical field

When an electrical field is

applied to a piezoelectric
Non-Polarized Polarized
material, a stress is
induced and the material 10
How Piezoelectric Material work?
In Quartz, the
+++ --- application of
+ - + -
a stress along
+ + a polar axis
- -

- + -
produces an
+
electric field
--- +++ between the two
opposing faces.
The application of stress results in a finite
displacement of the cation charge relative to the
center of anion charges; hence this structural unit
is piezoelectric.
The axis, where pressure is applied has to be
polar. 11
How Piezoelectric Material work?

"g" Constant Piezoelectric coefficient relating the amount stress applied to a

crystal to the resultant electric field in the crystal.
Piezoelectricity.

"d" Constant The piezoelectric constant relating applied electric field to resultant
strain. Electrostriction.

Curie Temperature at which the crystal structure undergoes a phase

Temperature: change from non-symmetrical lattice (such as tetragonal) to
symmetrical lattice (such as cubic). Drastic dielectric and
piezoelectric coefficient changes accompany this phase
change.

Dependent on Strain, Temperature, E-field,

12
Displacement
How Piezoelectric Material work?
TABLE 1: Comparison between commonly used crystalline
piezoelectric materials and PVDF.

Relative Piezoelectric Piezo. Strain/Volt.

Material Dielectric Const. d33 Const. g33 (10 exp-3
Const. (pC/N) Vm/N)

Quartz 4.5 2.3(d 11) 50.0 (g31)

PVDF 13 -33 -339.0

PZT-4 1300 289 25.1

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How is PZT created?
Raw Materials
Lead oxide (PbO), Titanium oxide (TiO),
Zirconium oxide (ZrO2),
Mixing
The materials are weighed and mixed
with water in a pot mill to provide
slurry.
Calcining
The slurry is heat treated to a maximum of
800C to obtain calcined powder.

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How is Piezo materials created?
Milling
The powder is milled with water to obtain
slurry. It is then dried and grounded, hence
providing piezoelectric ceramic powder of lead
oxide. Mixed with solvent, it is then spread
out to obtain sheets of piezoelectric ceramic
composite.
Conductive Paste
Piezoelectric ceramic powder and powder
of oxided is added and milled to form a
conductive paste for sintering.
Pressing
The conductive paste is applied and
pressed repeatedly to the sheets of
piezoelectric ceramic to print internal
electrodes. 15
How is PZT created?

Binder Burnout
The multilayer body is heated to around
700C so as to remove organic compunds.

Sintering
The multilayer body is then fired to 1200C
to sinter the sheets and internal electrodes
together.
Grinding/ Polishing
The material undergoes cutting, grinding
and polishing to have internal electrodes
on the sides.
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How is PZT created?
Electroding
Electrodes are applied either by screen
printing or chemical plating or vacuum
deposition
Polarizing
The material is immersed in silicon oil at
100C. E field of is applied between
internal electrodes for 30 minutes to
polarize the ceramic layers.

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Limitations of Piezo-materials

Electrical Limitations
The typical operating limit is between 400-
500V/mm.
Alternating fields can have the same affect

Mechanical Limitations
High mechanical stress

18
Limitations of Piezo-materials
Temperature Limitations
Curie point
Long exposure at elevated temperature
Operating temperature for a ceramic usually is
approximately half-way between 0C and the
Curie point.

19
Applications of Piezo-materials

1) Generators
Piezoelectric ceramics can generate voltages
sufficient to spark across an electrode gap.

Eg: Ignitors in fuel lighters, gas stoves, flash

rocks, Piezoelectric Transformers

20
Applications of Piezo-materials

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Applications of Piezo-materials
Piezoelectric Transformer

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Applications of Piezo-materials

Piezotransformer Electromagnetic Transformer

Smaller Bulky
Lighter Heavy
Higher efficiency Heat generation Eddy currents
Less noisy Magnetically noisy - Humming
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Applications of Piezo-materials

2) Sensors
A sensor converts a physical parameter,
such as acceleration or pressure, into an
electrical signal.

Eg: Smart skis, bumper sensors, seatbelt,

Mine detectors

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Applications of Piezo-materials

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Applications of Piezo-materials

3) Actuators
A piezoelectric actuator converts an electrical
signal into a precisely controlled physical
displacement, to finely adjust precision
machining tools, lenses, or mirrors.

Eg: Printers, Nano-positioning actuators

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Applications of Piezo-materials

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Applications of Piezo-materials

Electrostrictive polymers

Lightweight, low
power, wiper
mechanisms for
nanorover explorations

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Applications of Piezo-materials

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Applications of Piezo-materials

4) Transducers
Piezoelectric transducers convert electrical
energy into vibrational mechanical energy,
often sound or ultrasound

A transducer can both generate an ultrasound

signal from electrical energy and convert
incoming sound into an electrical signal.

Eg: Transducer probe

30
Applications of Piezo-materials
When an electric current is
applied, the crystals change
shape rapidly.

The rapid shape changes

produce sound waves that
travel outward.

When sound or pressure

waves hit the crystals, they
emit electrical currents.

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Applications of Piezo-materials

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Future of Piezo-materials

Materials with higher Piezo Coefficients

Lighter materials
Higher Curie Point
Bio-compatible materials
Microelectronic compatible
Composite Piezo materials

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Future of Piezo-materials

Human-Powered
Devices?

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 Future of Piezo-materials
Electroactive
polymers Large E field-induced
strain
Ultra-lightweight
Amorphous

Backbone Excellent processability

Mechanical and
electrical toughness

Excellent compatibility
Piezo
Graft Units
Crystals with other electroactive
Electrostrictive- polymers for
Piezoelectric Blends multifunctionality hybrid
molecular systems
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Future of Piezo-materials

Video 1

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 IM2654
Smart Electronic Materials

THANK YOU!

37
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