Giant piezoelectricity in oxide thin films with nanopillar structure

High-performance piezoelectric materials are critical components for electromechanical sensors and actuators. For more than 60 years, the main strategy for obtaining large piezoelectric response has been to construct multiphase boundaries, where nanoscale domains with local structural and polar heterogeneity are formed, by tuning complex chemical compositions. We used a different strategy to emulate such local heterogeneity by forming nanopillar regions in perovskite oxide thin films. We obtained a giant effective piezoelectric coefficient d33,f* of ~1098 picometers per volt with a high Curie temperature of ~450°C. Our lead-free composition of sodium-deficient sodium niobate contains only three elements (Na, Nb, and O). The formation of local heterogeneity with nanopillars in the perovskite structure could be the basis for a general approach to designing and optimizing various functional materials.

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High-Performance Piezoelectric Crystals, Ceramics, and Films

Annual Review of Materials Research ◽

10.1146/annurev-matsci-070616-124023 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 191-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Susan Trolier-McKinstry ◽

Shujun Zhang ◽

Andrew J. Bell ◽

Xiaoli Tan

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Small Molecules ◽

Single Crystals ◽

Applied Electric Field ◽

High Performance ◽

Piezoelectric Effect ◽

Piezoelectric Materials ◽

Inorganic Materials ◽

Piezoelectric Response ◽

Piezoelectric Crystals

Piezoelectric materials convert between electrical and mechanical energies such that an applied stress induces a polarization and an applied electric field induces a strain. This review describes the fundamental mechanisms governing the piezoelectric response in high-performance piezoelectric single crystals, ceramics, and thin films. While there are a number of useful piezoelectric small molecules and polymers, the article focuses on inorganic materials displaying the piezoelectric effect. Piezoelectricity is first defined, and the mechanisms that contribute are discussed in terms of the key crystal structures for materials with large piezoelectric coefficients. Exemplar systems are then discussed and compared for the cases of single crystals, bulk ceramics, and thin films.

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Towards high-performance linear piezoelectrics: Enhancing the piezoelectric response of zinc oxide thin films through epitaxial growth on flexible substrates

Applied Surface Science ◽

10.1016/j.apsusc.2021.149798 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 556 ◽

pp. 149798

Author(s):

Yongkuan Li ◽

Jincong Feng ◽

Jintong Zhang ◽

Baitong He ◽

Yue Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Zinc Oxide ◽

Epitaxial Growth ◽

High Performance ◽

Piezoelectric Response ◽

Flexible Substrates ◽

Oxide Thin Films

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Synthesis, Crystallography, Microstructure, Crystal Defects, Optical and Optoelectronic Properties of ZnO:CeO2 Mixed Oxide Thin Films

Photonics ◽

10.3390/photonics7040112 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 112

Author(s):

Qais M. Al-Bataineh ◽

Mahmoud Telfah ◽

Ahmad A. Ahmad ◽

Ahmad M. Alsaad ◽

Issam A. Qattan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Refractive Index ◽

Mixed Oxide ◽

Visible Region ◽

Functional Materials ◽

Crystal Defects ◽

Optoelectronic Properties ◽

Oxide Thin Films ◽

Pure Ceo2

We report the synthesis and characterization of pure ZnO, pure CeO2, and ZnO:CeO2 mixed oxide thin films dip-coated on glass substrates using a sol-gel technique. The structural properties of as-prepared thin film are investigated using the XRD technique. In particular, pure ZnO thin film is found to exhibit a hexagonal structure, while pure CeO2 thin film is found to exhibit a fluorite cubic structure. The diffraction patterns also show the formation of mixed oxide materials containing well-dispersed phases of semi-crystalline nature from both constituent oxides. Furthermore, optical properties of thin films are investigated by performing UV–Vis spectrophotometer measurements. In the visible region, transmittance of all investigated thin films attains values as high as 85%. Moreover, refractive index of pure ZnO film was found to exhibit values ranging between 1.57 and 1.85 while for CeO2 thin film, it exhibits values ranging between 1.73 and 2.25 as the wavelength of incident light decreases from 700 nm to 400 nm. Remarkably, refractive index of ZnO:CeO2 mixed oxide-thin films are tuned by controlling the concentration of CeO2 properly. Mixed oxide-thin films of controllable refractive indices constitute an important class of smart functional materials. We have also investigated the optoelectronic and dispersion properties of ZnO:CeO2 mixed oxide-thin films by employing well-established classical models. The melodramatic boost of optical and optoelectronic properties of ZnO:CeO2 mixed oxide thin films establish a strong ground to modify these properties in a skillful manner enabling their use as key potential candidates for the fabrication of scaled optoelectronic devices and thin film transistors.

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