Piezoelectric Voltage Constant and Sensitivity Enhancements Through Phase Boundary Structure Control of Lead-free (K,Na)NbO3-based ceramics

The piezoelectric voltage constant (g33) is a material parameter critical to piezoelectric voltage-type sensors for detecting vibrations or strains. Here, we report a lead-free (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN)-based piezoelectric accelerometer with voltage sensitivity enhanced by taking advantage of a high g33. To achieve a high g33, the magnitudes of piezoelectric charge constant d33 and dielectric permittivity er of KNN were best coupled by manipulating the intrinsic polymorphic phase boundaries effectively with the help of Bi-based perovskite oxide additives. For the KNN composition that derives benefit from the combination of er and d33, the value of g33 was found to be 46.9 ´ 10-3 V·m/N, which is significantly higher than those (20 - 30 ´ 10−3 V·m/N) found in well-known polycrystalline lead-based ceramics including commercial Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT). Finally, the accelerometer sensor prototype built using the modified KNN composition demonstrated higher voltage sensitivity (183 mV/g) when measuring vibrations, showing a 29% increase against the PZT-based sensor (142 mV/g).

The role of the critical compressibility factor in the equation of state for the critical fluid

Based on the literature data of PVT measurements, the amplitudes of the equations of the critical isotherm D0(Zk), the critical isochore Г0(Zk), the phase boundaries В0(Zk) are expressed in terms of the critical factor of compressibility of the substance Zk=PkVk/RTk in the entire fluctuation region near the critical point. By doing so, a phenomenological method has been used for calculating the values of the critical exponents of the fluctuation theory of phase transitions based on the introduction of small parameters into the equations of the fluctuation theory. It has been shown that, within the limits of the PVT measurement errors, these dependences D0(Zk) and В0(Zk) on the compressibility factor are linear, and Г0 practically does not depend on the compressibility factor Zk. The relationship of these amplitudes with the amplitudes a and k of the linear model of the system of parametric scale equations of state of substance near the critical point has been established. It has been shown that the dependences k(Zk) and а(Zk) are also linear in the entire fluctuation region near the critical point. The obtained dependences k(Zk) and а(Zk) agree with the known relationship between the amplitudes of the critical isotherm D0(Zk), critical isochore Г0(Zk), phase boundaries В0(Zk) Aerospace Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukrainewithin the framework of the system of parametric scaling equations. The relations а(Zk), k(Zk) make it possible, on the basis of a linear model of the system of parametric scale equations of state of substance, to determine such important characteristics of the critical fluid as the temperature and field dependences of the correlation length Rc(T,m) and the fluctuation part of the thermodynamic potential Ф(T,m) in the entire fluctuation region near the critical point. Then, based on the form of the fluctuation part of the thermodynamic potential Ф(T,m)~Rc(T,m)-3, the results obtained allow one to calculate the field and temperature dependences of the thermodynamic quantities for a wide class of molecular liquids in the close vicinity of the critical point (DP<10-3, Dr<10-2, t<10-4), where precision experiments are significantly complicated, and its can also be used when choosing the conditions for the most effective practical application of the unique properties of the critical fluid in the newest technologies.

Electron beam modification of the structure and properties of silumins with various silicon concentrations

This work intended to analyse the structure and properties of hypoeutectic silumin treated by a pulsed electron beam. The study has shown that the silumin surface modified by a pulsed electron beam fractures due to the formation and propagation of microcracks along the boundaries of high-speed crystallization cells. In the untreated material (the concentration of silicon in the alloy is irrelevant) microcracks tend to originate and propagate along the phase boundaries between aluminum and silicon. The research has revealed that the plasticity of irradiated AK5M2 silumin is 1.6 higher and the strength is 1.1 lower than these characteristics of the untreated material; the irradiated AK10M2H silumin fractures at higher (by ≈ 30%) applied stress and higher (by 30%) plastic deformation than the untreated material.

The influence of polymer on optical and thermal properties of nematic liquid crystals

Polymer is substance which consists of large number of molecules and plays a very important in our everyday life. In the present study the effect of different concentration of polymer Poly Methyl Methacrylate on the optical and thermal properties of nematic liquid crystal were investigated. The polymer was dispersed in the liquid crystal by polymerization induced phase separation method. The physical properties were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. We found various textures according to the molecular order and orientation of the liquid crystal and polymer in constrained regions separated by phase boundaries. These composite materials can be used to enhance contrast ratio with more stability for display application and smart window.

The emergence of strange metal and topological liquid near quantum critical point in a solvable model

We discuss quantum phase transition by a solvable model in the dual gravity setup. By considering the effect of the scalar condensation on the fermion spectrum near the quantum critical point(QCP), we find that there is a topologically protected fermion zero mode associated with the metal to insulator transition. Unlike the topological insulator, our zero mode is for the bulk of the material, not the edge. We also show that the strange metal phase with T-linear resistivity emerges at high enough temperature as far as a horizon exists. The phase boundaries calculated according to the density of states allow us understanding the structures of the phase diagram near the QCP.