Electroreflectance spectroscopy of compressively strained InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well structures

The built-in piezoelectric field induced by compressive stress in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well (MQW) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was investigated using the electric field dependent electroreflectance (ER) spectroscopic method. InGaN/GaN MQW structures were prepared on sapphire substrates of different thicknesses. Thinning the sapphire substrate enables control of the compressive stress by changing the curvature of the wafer bowing. The wafer bowing-induced mechanical stress alters the piezoelectric field in the InGaN/GaN MQW. The flat band voltage, estimated by measuring the applied reverse bias voltage that induces a 180° phase shift in the ER spectra, was decreased from −11.21 V to −10.51 V by thinning the sapphire substrate thickness from 200 to 60 μm. To calculate the piezoelectric field (F_pz) from the compensation voltage, the depletion width was obtained from the capacitance–voltage measurement. The F_pz estimated from the energy shift in ER peak in a bias range from 0 to −12 V was changed by 110 kV/cm.     

Direct and inverse magnetoelectric effect in layered composites in electromechanical resonance range: A review

A model is presented for the increase in magnetoelectric (ME) coupling in magnetostrictive-piezoelectric bilayers in the electromechanical resonance region. The ME voltage coefficients α_E have been estimated for transverse field orientations corresponding to minimum demagnetizing fields and maximum α_E. We solved the equation of medium motion taking into account the magnetostatic and elastostatic equations, constitutive equations, Hooke's law, and boundary conditions. The resonance enhancement of ME voltage coefficient for the bilayer is obtained at antiresonance frequency. To obtain the inverse ME effect, a pick up coil wound around the sample is used to measure the ME voltage due to the change in the magnetic induction in magnetostrictive phase. The measured static magnetic field dependence of ME voltage has been attributed to the variation in the piezomagnetic coefficient for magnetic layer. The frequency dependence of the ME voltage shows a resonance character due to the longitudinal acoustic modes in piezoelectric layer. The model is applied to specific cases of cobalt ferrite–lead zirconate titanate and nickel–lead zirconate titanate bilayers. Theoretical ME voltage coefficients versus frequency profiles are in agreement with data.     

Dielectric,ferroelectric and field-induced strain response of lead-free BaZrO3-modified Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 ceramics

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics (1 − x)Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃–xBaZrO₃ (BNT–BZ100x, with x = 0–0.10) were prepared using a conventional solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure, microstructure, dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of BNT–BZ100x ceramics were studied as functions of different BZ content. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the BZ completely diffused in the BNT lattice in the studied composition range. An appropriate amount of BZ addition improved the dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of BNT ceramics. The remanent polarization (P_r) and piezoelectric constant (d₃₃) increased from 22 μC/cm² and 60 pC/N for pure BNT to 30 μC/cm² and 112 pC/N for x = 0.040, respectively. In addition, electric field-induced strain was enhanced to its maximum value (S_max = 0.40%) with normalized strain (d*₃₃ = S_max/E_max = 500 pm/V) at an applied electric field of 8 kV/mm for x = 0.055. The enhanced strain can be attributed to the coexistence of ferroelectric and relaxor ferroelectric phases.     

Dynamic properties of an omni-directional piezoelectric motor for precision position control

A piezoelectric motor capable of omni-directional movements has been developed to apply for robot joints, eyes, and precision positioning stage. The piezoelectric actuator has a simple structure of a cone type consisting of two piezoelectric ring-typed ceramics with electrodes divided into four segments and stainless steel elastic bodies. Before manufacturing the piezoelectric motor, the admittance characteristics and displacements of the actuator as a function of frequency were simulated. Elliptical motions of the actuator were created at several frequencies between the longitudinal and transverse resonance frequencies. The actual motor with alumina ball exhibited nice performance using a driving circuit with two rotary encoders and a PID controller. The moving element was omni-directionally operated at a driving frequency of 53.8 kHz and an output voltage of 280 V_p-p. The developed motor enables the moving element to move to a desired position with a resolution of 1.2°/pulse, an angular velocity of 4 rad/s, and a thrust force of 200 g.     

In-situ X-ray microdiffraction analysis of local strain-field across the interface in a Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3/Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4/Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 tri-layered structure

We have performed a synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction to investigate the variation of the local strain-field across the interface in Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃/Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄/Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ (PZT–NZFO–PZT) tri-layered structure. In this study, we show that the in-plane lattice parameters of the NZFO lattice depend strongly on the piezoelectric strain of the PZT layer. This result explains that an electric-field-induced piezoelectric strain from the PZT layer is effectively transferred to the NZFO layer. Furthermore, the local strain persists within 20 μm away from the interface, inducing changes of magnetic responses via the inverse magnetostrictive effect.     

Large piezoelectric strain observed in sol–gel derived BZT–BCT ceramics

High performance lead (Pb)-free piezoelectric ceramics with excellent piezoelectric properties is in great demand for sensor and actuator applications. Barium zirconate titanate–barium calcium titanate [xBZT–(1 − x)BCT] (x = 0.5) is one such lead free system, which exhibits high piezoelectric properties similar to lead zirconate titanate (PZT). In this study we report the synthesis and characterization of this lead free [xBZT–(1 − x)BCT] (x = 0.5) via wet chemical sol–gel method. Calcination of the BZT–BCT precursor only at 1000 °C (against 1300 °C reported in the literature) for 4 h resulted in formation of single phase nanoparticles (<50 nm) as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. Highly dense and homogenous microstructure with 95% of the theoretical density was obtained by solid-state sintering of the green pellets at 1550 °C. Remanent polarization (Pr) of 11.55 μC/cm² and relative permittivity of 20,020 at the Curie temperature of 95 °C were obtained. Electrically poled BZT–BCT ceramics samples exhibited high piezoelectric charge coefficients, d₃₃ ∼ 530 pC/N, d₃₃* ∼ 942 pm/V, large electromechanical coupling coefficient k_p ∼ 0.45 and a large strain of 0.15%, which are comparable to those of lead based piezoelectric ceramics. The excellent piezoelectric properties of this sol–gel derived BZT–BCT system has been analyzed and correlated to its structure in this report.     

A novel drum piezoelectric-actuator

This paper presents a large displacement, piezoelectric-metal structure actuator, named the piezoelectric drum actuator. The drum actuator consists of a short, thick-walled steel cylinder sandwiched by two thin composite disks, which are fabricated from a brass disk bonded with a piezoceramic disk. The piezoceramic disk, which is polarized in its thickness direction, has a large diameter thickness ratio, producing a large radial displacement under an applied voltage in the thickness, leading to a large transverse deflection of the composite disks in the drum. The drum (outer diameter: 12.0 mm) has a displacement that is about eight times larger than that of a cymbal actuator made with the same ceramic material and comparable dimensions under the same dc driving voltage of 270 V. The drum actuator also showed a large resonance displacement of 56.7 μm under an ac voltage of 90 V. The effective piezoelectric charge coefficient d’₃₃ of the drum is about twice as large as that reported for the cymbal. PACS 77.65 -j; 85.50.+k; 43.38.fx     

Electric field-induced magnetoresistance in spin-valve/piezoelectric multiferroic laminates for low-power spintronics

Electric field-induced magnetic anisotropy has been realized in the spin-valve-based {Ni₈₀Fe₂₀/Cu/Fe₅₀Co₅₀/IrMn}/piezoelectric multiferroic laminates. In this system, electric-field control of magnetization is accomplished by strain mediated magnetoelectric coupling. Practically, the magnetization in the magnetostrictive FeCo layer of the spin-valve structure rotates under an effective compressive stress caused by the inverse piezoelectric effect in external electrical fields. This phenomenon is evidenced by the magnetization and magnetoresistance changes under the electrical field applied across the piezoelectric layer. The result shows great potential for advanced low-power spintronic devices.     

Effect of carbon black on properties of 0–3 piezoelectric ceramic/cement composites

0–3 cement-based piezoelectric composites were fabricated using sulphoaluminate cement and piezoelectric ceramic [0.08Pb(Li_1/4Nb_3/4)O₃ · 0.47PbTiO₃ · 0.45PbZrO₃] [P(LN)ZT] as raw materials by compressing technique. The influences of carbon black content on the piezoelectric and dielectric properties, electric conductivity and impedance were investigated. The results indicate that the piezoelectric strain constant d₃₃ and piezoelectric voltage constant g₃₃ of the composites increase gradually with a suitable carbon black addition. When the carbon black content is 0.3 wt%, both of the piezoelectric strain constant d₃₃ and piezoelectric voltage constant g₃₃ of the composite exist the maximum value, which are 17.45 pC N⁻¹ and 36.3 mV m N⁻¹, respectively. As the carbon black content increases, the dielectric constant ε_r, dielectric loss tanδ and electric conductivity σ of the composites all increase, while the impedance decreases. In the frequency range tested, the more the carbon black content, the higher the ε_r value. The planar electromechanical coupling coefficient K_p, the thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient K_t and the mechanical quality factor Q_m are almost unaffected by the carbon black content.     

用光纤光栅传感器研究压电陶瓷的特性

提出了一种利用光纤光栅传感器研究压电陶瓷特性的新方法.该方法采用非平衡Michelson扫描干涉仪对光纤光栅传感信号进行相位解调,通过观测波长漂移引起的相移,从而获得压电陶瓷的位移量与所加电压间的关系.实验分析了迟滞特性和蠕变现象,得到了压电陶瓷的电压-位移特性曲线以及蠕变特性曲线.实验表明,光源功率的波动对压电陶瓷迟滞特性不能造成影响且压电陶瓷的蠕变特性与电压方向无关.     

Piezoelectric and magnetoelectric properties of PVDF/NiFe2O4 based electrospun nanofibers for flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators

In this study, flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs) were fabricated using the composite fibers which were prepared by combining polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) nanoparticles (NPs) at a concentration of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt%. The piezoelectric properties of PNG indicate that the PVDF/NiFe₂O₄ fibers containing NiFe₂O₄ NPs at a concentration of 10 wt% has a higher power efficiency of 5.4% at 20 Hz compared to that of the pure PVDF fibers at 10 Hz, under the same resistive load of 2.5 MΩ. The magnetoelectric properties of PNG show that the PNG with PVDF+7 wt%NiFe₂O₄ supplied the highest electrical power of 0.40 μW under a resistive load of 750KΩ while it reached a maximum voltage value of 17.50 mV at the same load resistive load for a low-level magnetic field of 50 Hz frequency.     

Piezoelectric non-linearity in PbSc0.5Ta0.5O3 thin films

Epitaxial (001)-oriented PbSc_0.5Ta_0.5O₃ (PST) thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition. Local piezoelectric investigations performed by piezoelectric force microscopy show a dual slope for the piezoelectric coefficient. A piezoelectric coefficient of 3 pm/V was observed at voltages up to 0.8 V. However, at voltages above 0.8 V, there is a steep increase in piezoelectric coefficient mounting to 23.2 pm/V. This nonlinear piezoelectric response was observed to be irreversible in nature. In order to better understand this nonlinear behavior, voltage dependent dielectric constant measurements were performed. These confirmed that the piezoelectric non-linearity is indeed a manifestation of a dielectric non-linearity. In contrast to classical ferroelectric systems, the observed dielectric non-linearity in this relaxor material cannot be explained by the Rayleigh model. Thus the dielectric non-linearity in the PST films is tentatively explained as a manifestation of a percolation of the polar nano regions.     

Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the Ba0.92Ca0.08Ti0.95Zr0.05O3 thin films grown on different substrate

Lead free Ba_0.92Ca_0.08Ti_0.95Zr_0.05O₃ (BCZT) thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si and LaNiO₃(LNO)/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by a sol–gel processing technique, respectively. The effects of substrate on structure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties were investigated in detail. The BCZT thin films deposited on LNO/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates exhibit (100) orientation, larger grain size and higher dielectric tunability (64%). The BCZT thin films deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si exhibit (110) orientation, higher Curie temperature (75 °C), better piezoelectric property (d₃₃ of 50 pm/V) and lower dielectric loss (0.02). The differences in dielectric and piezoelectric properties in the two kinds of oriented BCZT films should be attributed to the difference of structure, in-plane stress and polarization rotation in orientation engineered BCZT films.     

Magnetoelectric effect in laminates of polymer-based pseudo-1–3 (Tb0.3Dy0.7)0.5Pr0.5Fe1.55 composite and?0.3Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.7PbTiO3 single crystal

We report an extrinsic magnetoelectric effect in composite laminates made by sandwiching one thickness-polarized 0.7Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–0.3PbTiO₃ (PMN–PT) piezoelectric single crystal plate between two length-magnetized, polymer-based pseudo-1–3 (Tb_0.3Dy_0.7)_0.5Pr_0.5Fe_1.55 magnetostrictive composite plates. The laminates exhibit large magnetoelectric voltage coefficients (α _V ) of ∼0.17 V/Oe with a flat response for frequencies in excess of 40 kHz and of ∼2.97 V/Oe at the natural resonance frequency of ∼65 kHz. The distinct advantages of the laminates include high magnetic field sensitivity, low Joule heating loss, wide operating bandwidth, and low cost.     

A theoretical study of the propagation of Rayleigh waves in a functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM)

An exact approach is used to investigate Rayleigh waves in a functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM) layer bonded to a semi infinite homogenous solid. The piezoelectric material is polarized when the six fold symmetry axis is put along the propagation direction x₁. The FGPM character imposes that the material properties change gradually with the thickness of the layer. Contrary to the analytical approach, the adopted numerical methods, including the ordinary differential equation (ODE) and the stiffness matrix method (SMM), treat separately the electrical and mechanical gradients. The influences of graded variations applied to FGPM film coefficients on the dispersion curves of Rayleigh waves are discussed. The effects of gradient coefficients on electromechanical coupling factor, displacement fields, stress distributions and electrical potential, are reported. The obtained deviations in comparison with the ungraded homogenous film are plotted with respect to the dimensionless wavenumber. Opposite effects are observed on the coupling factor when graded variations are applied separately. A particular attention has been devoted to the maximum of the coupling factor and it dependence on the stratification rate and the gradient coefficient. This work provides with a theoretical foundation for the design and practical applications of SAW devices with high performance.     

Relationship between phase structure and electrical properties of (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3-LiTaO3 lead-free ceramics

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics of (1−x)K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃-xLiTaO₃ (KNN-LT) system have been investigated in this work. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra measurements, DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetric), and dielectric constant versus temperature provide direct evidence that the phase transition temperature between tetragonal and orthorhombic shift to lower temperature with the increasing of LT content. The KNN-0.05LT ceramics exhibit the highest high-field d₃₃ up to 220 pm/V. At the same time, we also investigated the relationship between phase structure and electric properties, showing that the orthorhombic phase presents better piezoelectric temperature stabilities than the tetragonal phase. The result may provide a new way for KNN-based lead-free ceramics.     

Optimization of un-tethered, low voltage, 20-100kHz flexural transducers for biomedical ultrasonics applications

This paper describes optimization of un-tethered, low voltage, 20-100 kHz flexural transducers for biomedical ultrasonics applications. The goal of this work was to design a fully wearable, low weight (<100 g), battery operated, piezoelectric ultrasound applicator providing maximum output pressure amplitude at the minimum excitation voltage.Such implementation of ultrasound applicators that can operate at the excitation voltages on the order of only 10-25 V is needed in view of the emerging evidence that spatial-peak temporal-peak ultrasound intensity (I_SPTP) on the order of 100 mW/cm² delivered at frequencies below 100 kHz can have beneficial therapeutic effects. The beneficial therapeutic applications include wound management of chronic ulcers and non-invasive transdermal delivery of insulin and liposome encapsulated drugs.The early prototypes of the 20 and 100 kHz applicators were optimized using the maximum electrical power transfer theorem, which required a punctilious analysis of the complex impedance of the piezoelectric disks mounted in appropriately shaped metal housings.In the implementation tested, the optimized ultrasound transducer applicators were driven by portable, customized electronics, which controlled the excitation voltage amplitude and facilitated operation in continuous wave (CW) or pulsed mode with adjustable (10-90%) duty cycle. The driver unit was powered by remotely located rechargeable lithium (Li) polymer batteries. This was done to further minimize the weight of the applicator unit making it wearable. With DC voltage of approximately 15 V the prototypes were capable of delivering pressure amplitudes of about 55 kPa or 100 mW/cm² (I_SPTP). This level of acoustic output was chosen as it is considered safe and side effects free, even at prolonged exposure.     

Fabrication of textured KNNT ceramics by reactive template grain growth using NN templates

Lead-free non-stoichiometric (K_0.470Na_0.545)(Nb_0.55Ta_0.45)O₃ (KNNT) textured ceramics were prepared by a reactive templated grain growth method using NaNbO₃ (NN) templates. The Plate-like NaNbO₃ (NN) templates were synthesized from bismuth layer-structured Bi_2.5Na_3.5Nb₅O₁₈ (BNN) particles by a topochemical microcrystal conversion (TMC) method. Using 5 wt% of NN templates, textured KNNT ceramics were fabricated, and their crystal structure, microstructure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties were compared with non-textured KNNT ceramics prepared by a conventional solid state reaction method. The textured KNNT ceramics exhibited high grain orientation and high dielectric constant. In addition, piezoelectric properties of textured KNNT ceramics were improved, giving a high piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ = 390 pC/N and piezoelectric coupling coefficient k_p = 0.60.     

Photodeposition of CoOx nanoparticles on BiFeO3 nanodisk for efficiently piezocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B by utilizing ultrasonic vibration energy

Piezoelectric materials have received much attention due to their great potential in environmental remediation by utilizing vibrational energy. In this paper, a novel piezoelectric catalyst, CoO_x nanoparticles anchored BiFeO₃ nanodisk composite, was intentionally synthesized via a photodeposition method and applied in piezocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under ultrasonic vibration. The as-synthesized CoO_x/BiFeO₃ composite presents high piezocatalytic efficiency and stability. The RhB degradation rate is determined to be 1.29 h⁻¹, which is 2.38 folds higher than that of pure BiFeO₃. Via optimizing the reaction conditions, the piezocatalytic degradation rate of the CoO_x/BiFeO₃ can be further increased to 3.20 h⁻¹. A thorough characterization was implemented to investigate the structure, piezoelectric property, and charge separation efficiency of the CoO_x/BiFeO₃ to reveal the nature behind the high piezocatalytic activity. It is found that the CoO_x nanoparticles are tightly adhered and uniformly dispersed on the surface of the BiFeO₃ nanodisks. Strong interaction between CoO_x and BiFeO₃ triggers the formation of a heterojunction structure, which further induces the migration of the piezoinduced holes on the BiFeO₃ to CoO_x nanoparticles. The recombination of electron-hole pairs is retarded, thereby increasing the piezocatalytic performance greatly. This work may offer a new paradigm for the design of high-efficiency piezoelectric catalysts.