Piezoelectric

Materials and its

Applications
Rizwan Tahir & M. Usman
Munir
6020 & 6015

Supervisor: Dr. Talha Hamdani

Table of Contents
Introduction:.................................................................................................................................................. 2
Cause of Piezoelectricity: ............................................................................................................................. 2
Working of Piezoelectric materials: .............................................................................................................. 3
Types of Piezoelectric materials: .................................................................................................................. 4
Ceramic based piezoelectric materials: ..................................................................................................... 4
Lead zirconate titanate PZT: ................................................................................................................. 4
Barium titanate BaTiO3 ........................................................................................................................ 5
Polymer based piezoelectric materials: ..................................................................................................... 5
PVDF: ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Applications: ................................................................................................................................................. 5
High Voltage and Power Sources: ........................................................................................................ 5
Sensors: ................................................................................................................................................. 6
Piezoelectric Motors: ............................................................................................................................ 6
Ultrasonic transducers ........................................................................................................................... 7
Sports equipments: ................................................................................................................................ 7
Introduction:
Certain solid materials accumulates electric charge in response of applied mechanical stress are
called piezoelectric materials and this phenomena is called piezoelectricity. “Piezoelectricity”
defines the electricity due to deformation. Piezoelectricity is derivated from the Greek piezo
means to push or press and electric which means flow of electrons. This phenomenon was
discovered in 1880 by two famous French scientists Jacques Curie and Pierre Curie.

This effect is two sided i.e. we can get electric charge by applying the stress and we can also get
mechanical motion by applying the electric field. For instance PZT( Lead Zicronate titanium)
crystals will produce electric charge when their strain is 0.1% of their original dimension.

Some examples of piezoelectric phenomena are detection of sound, generation of voltages,

microbalance etc. this phenomena is also introduced in the techniques like atomic force
microscope, scanning tunneling microscope and micro thermal analysis etc. The daily life
applications of piezoelectricity are like igniting of cigarette lighter and watches (quartz).

Essential properties of piezoelectric materials:

 High value of the dielectric constant
 Presence of spontaneous polarization in some zones (domains)
 Presence of hysteresis loop in polarization-electric field and strain-electric field
curves
 Dielectric constant increases with increase of temperature
 Ferroelectric properties disappear above a special point in dielectric constant -
temperature curve (curie point)
 Appearance of the residual polarization and a double electric layer on the surface of
sintered samples after exposure to a strong electric field, which causes the display of
the piezoelectric effect in the material (conversion of the mechanical energy into an
electrical one and vice versa).

Cause of Piezoelectricity:
Think of a crystal and you probably picture balls (atoms) mounted on bars (the bonds that hold
them together), a bit like a climbing frame. Now, by crystals, scientists don't necessarily mean
intriguing bits of rock you find in gift shops: a crystal is the scientific name for any solid whose
atoms or molecules are arranged in a very orderly way based on endless repetitions of the same
basic atomic building block (called the unit cell). So a lump of iron is just as much of a crystal as
a piece of quartz. In a crystal, what we have is actually less like a climbing frame (which doesn't
necessarily have an orderly, repeating structure) and more like three-dimensional, patterned
wallpaper.

In most crystals (such as metals), the unit cell (the basic repeating unit) is symmetrical; in
piezoelectric crystals, it isn't. Normally, piezoelectric crystals are electrically neutral: the atoms
inside them may not be symmetrically arranged, but their electrical charges are perfectly
balanced: a positive charge in one place cancels out a negative charge nearby. However, if you
squeeze or stretch a piezoelectric crystal, you deform the structure, pushing some of the atoms
closer together or further apart, upsetting the balance of positive and negative, and causing net
electrical charges to appear. This effect carries through the whole structure so net positive and
negative charges appear on opposite, outer faces of the crystal.

The reverse-piezoelectric effect occurs in the opposite way. Put a voltage across a piezoelectric
crystal and you're subjecting the atoms inside it to "electrical pressure." They have to move to
rebalance themselves—and that's what causes piezoelectric crystals to deform (slightly change
shape) when you put a voltage across them.

Working of Piezoelectric materials:

Here's a quick animation showing how piezoelectricity occurs. It's somewhat simplified, but it
gives you the basic idea:

I. Normally, the charges in a piezoelectric crystal are exactly balanced, even if they're not
symmetrically arranged.
II. The effects of the charges exactly cancel out, leaving no net charge on the crystal faces.
(More specifically, the electric dipole moments—vector lines separating opposite
charges—exactly cancel one another out.)
III. If you squeeze the crystal (massively exaggerated in this picture!), you force the charges
out of balance.
IV. Now the effects of the charges (their dipole moments) no longer cancel one another out
and net positive and negative charges appear on opposite crystal faces. By squeezing the
crystal, you've produced a voltage across its opposite faces—and that's piezoelectricity!

Types of Piezoelectric materials:

There are generally two types of piezoelectric materials.

o Ceramic based piezoelectric materials.

o Polymer based piezoelectric materials.

Ceramic based piezoelectric materials:

Lead zirconate titanate PZT:

o Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is a ceramic material made of lead (Pb), oxygen (O) and
titanium (Ti) or zirconium (Zr).
o Chemical formula: Pb [ZrxTi1-x] O3 ; x = 0,52
o The atoms are arranged in a cubical structure.
o At temperatures below the Curie temperature (depending on the material between 150°C
and 200°C) the titanium atom moves from its central position and the electrically neutral
lattice becomes a dipole.
o This dipole lattice presents now piezoelectric characteristics and is considered as one of
the most economical piezoelectric material.
o By doping the PZT material, its piezoelectric characteristics can be modified: especially
the hardness or softness of the material.
Barium titanate BaTiO3
o Barium titanate belongs to the group of electrical ceramics. It is an oxide of barium and
titanium.
o As a piezoelectric material, it is usually replaced by lead zirconate titanate (PZT).
o It is used as a piezoelectric material for microphones and transducers.
o Crystal Structure: tetragonal.
o Molar mass 233.192 g/mol.

Polymer based piezoelectric materials:

PVDF:

Kawai was the first one to discover on 1969 a highly noticeable piezoelectric effect on
polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). This material is the most studied and utilized
piezoelectric polymer. However, commercialized piezo films only appeared on the world
market in 1981. Piezoelectricity can be obtained by orienting the molecular dipoles of
polar polymers such as PVDF in the same direction by subjecting appropriate films to an
intense electric field: this is polarization. This polarization is mainly attributable to the
spatial arrangement of the segments of the macromolecular chains, and the contribution
of the injected charges to the piezoelectric effect is of secondary importance. The
polarized electrets are thermodynamically stable up to about 90°C . PVDF is particularly
suitable for the manufacture of such films because of its molecular structure (polar
material), its purity – which makes it possible to produce thin and regular films – and its
ability to solidify in the crystalline form suitable for polarization.

Applications:
Due to the intrinsic characteristics of piezoelectric materials, there are numerous applications
that benefit from their use:

High Voltage and Power Sources:

An example of applications in this area is the electric cigarette lighter, where pressing a button
causes a spring-loaded hammer to hit a piezoelectric crystal, thereby producing a sufficiently
high voltage that electric current flows across a small spark gap, heating and igniting the gas.
Most types of gas burners and ranges have a built-in piezo based injection systems.

Sensors:
The principle of operation of a piezoelectric sensor is that a physical dimension, transformed into
a force, acts on two opposing faces of the sensing element. The detection of pressure variations
in the form of sound is the most common sensor application, which is seen in piezoelectric
microphones and piezoelectric pickups for electrically amplified guitars. Piezoelectric sensors in
particular are used with high frequency sound in ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging and
industrial nondestructive testing. Piezoelectric sensor are devices using the piezoelectric effect to
measure acceleration, pressure, strain or force and converting them to an electrical signal. Piezo
elements are suitable for the detection of dynamic processes. In static applications the
piezoelectric charges are too small, in order to be detected. An amplifier is used to convert the
piezoelectric charges into a measurable electrical tension. Principle of operations 3 modes of
operation exist depending on how a piezoelectric material is cut:

 Transverse
 Longitudinal
 Shear

Piezoelectric Motors:
Because very high voltages correspond to only tiny changes in the width of the crystal, this
crystal width can be manipulated with better-than-micrometer precision, making piezo crystals
an important tool for positioning objects with extreme accuracy, making them perfect for use in
motors, such as the various motor series offered by Nanomotion.

Regarding piezoelectric motors, the piezoelectric element receives an electrical pulse, and then
applies directional force to an opposing ceramic plate, causing it to move in the desired direction.
Motion is generated when the piezoelectric element moves against a static platform (such as
ceramic strips).

The characteristics of piezoelectric materials provided the perfect technology upon which
Nanomotion developed our various lines of unique piezoelectric motors. Using patented
piezoelectric technology, Nanomotion has designed various series of motors ranging in size from
a single element (providing 0.4Kg of force) to an eight element motor (providing 3.2Kg of
force). Nano motion motors are capable of driving both linear and rotary stages, and have a wide
dynamic range of speed, from several microns per second to 250mm/sec and can easily mount to
traditional low friction stages or other devices. The operating characteristics of Nano motion’s
motors provide inherent braking and the ability to eliminate servo dither when in a static
position.

Ultrasonic transducers
Ultrasonic transducers (10kHz to 70kHz) are used in imaging and high power applications. The
transducer can act as a sensor and an actuator in imaging applications. In high power applications
such as sonochemistry or medical treatment, the transducer sends ultrasound waves in the body
and detects the returning echo.

Sports equipments:
A more recent innovation using piezoelectric technology is in the sports industry. Tennis
manufacturers, Head, were requested by players to design racquets with comfort as well as
power. Previously, racquets had been designed to be stiff so that they return maximum energy to
the ball when it is hit but this means that the racquet transmits shock vibration to the player�s
arm.
In an attempt to reduce vibration, piezoelectric fibres have been embedded around the racquet
throat and a computer chip embedded inside the handle. The frame deflects slightly when the ball
is hit so that the piezoelectric fibres bend and generate a charge (by the direct effect) which is
collected by the patterned electrode surrounding the fibres. The charge and associated current is
carried to an embedded silicon chip via a flexible circuit containing inductors capacitors and
resistors, which boost the current and send it back to the fibres out of phase in an attempt to
reduce the vibration by destructive interference.
The fibres then bend (by the converse effect) to counter the motion of the racket and reduce
vibration. The current generated is said to be only a couple of hundred micro amps generating
600 to 800 volts in only 2 to 3 milliseconds.
The manufacturers claim 50% reduction in vibration compared with conventional rackets and the
International Tennis Federation have approved them for tournament play.