Why does't amorphous silicon oxide present piezoelectricity?

[Silicon]

We know quartz,viz. crystal silicon oxide is a kind of piezoelectric solid.Does the amorphous silicon oxide present piezoelectricity also. If not,Why?
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I'm not good at English, so if there is any language errors in my threads please point them out. thanks very much!

 

[Claude Bile]

Amorphous silicon dioxide does not have the requisite crystal structure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectricity

Claude.

 

[charng]

I can explain why amorphous silicon oxide does not exhibit piezoelectricity like quartz (crystalline silicon oxide) does. The main reason is due to the difference in their crystal structures. Piezoelectricity is a property that is only observed in materials with a specific crystal structure, known as a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure. This means that the arrangement of atoms in the crystal is not symmetrical and has a net dipole moment.

In quartz, the arrangement of silicon and oxygen atoms is highly ordered, creating a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure. This allows for the generation of an electric charge when mechanical stress is applied, known as the piezoelectric effect.

However, in amorphous silicon oxide, the atoms are arranged randomly and do not have a specific crystal structure. This lack of order results in a centrosymmetric structure, meaning there is no net dipole moment and therefore no piezoelectric effect.

In summary, the lack of a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure in amorphous silicon oxide is the reason why it does not exhibit piezoelectricity like quartz does.