What is Piezoelectricity: Definition and 21 Discussions

Piezoelectricity (, US: ) is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials (such as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA and various proteins) in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure and latent heat. It is derived from the Greek word πιέζειν; piezein, which means to squeeze or press, and ἤλεκτρον ēlektron, which means amber, an ancient source of electric charge.The piezoelectric effect results from the linear electromechanical interaction between the mechanical and electrical states in crystalline materials with no inversion symmetry. The piezoelectric effect is a reversible process: materials exhibiting the piezoelectric effect (the internal generation of electrical charge resulting from an applied mechanical force) also exhibit the reverse piezoelectric effect, the internal generation of a mechanical strain resulting from an applied electrical field. For example, lead zirconate titanate crystals will generate measurable piezoelectricity when their static structure is deformed by about 0.1% of the original dimension. Conversely, those same crystals will change about 0.1% of their static dimension when an external electric field is applied to the material. The inverse piezoelectric effect is used in the production of ultrasonic sound waves.French physicists Jacques and Pierre Curie discovered piezoelectricity in 1880, and it has subsequently been exploited in a number of useful applications, such as the production and detection of sound, piezoelectric inkjet printing, generation of high voltages, clock generator in electronics, microbalances, to drive an ultrasonic nozzle, and ultrafine focusing of optical assemblies. It forms the basis for a number of scientific instrumental techniques with atomic resolution, the scanning probe microscopies, such as STM, AFM, MTA, and SNOM. It also finds everyday uses such as acting as the ignition source for cigarette lighters, push-start propane barbecues, used as the time reference source in quartz watches, as well as in amplification pickups for some guitars and triggers in most modern electronic drums.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. A

    A Piezoelectricity and the Lorentz Harmonic Oscillator?

    Hi! As I outlined in my https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/hello-reality-anyone-familiar-with-the-davisson-germer-experiment.985063/post-6305937, I'm curious to ask if there is anyone with knowledge on the theory of the piezoelectric effect on this forum? I think it's fascinating how a...
  2. smak64

    I Piezoelectric crystal energy restoration

    Let's say that I deform some piezoelectric tile and the energy(Fs here) is stored in form of some stress energy and some electrical energy(distribution of the centres of charges looking as a capacitor). Now I remove the force and then remove the electrical energy somehow so by the inverse piezo...
  3. C

    Brainstorming: Large scale piezoelectricity generation

    Hello all; Just thought I'd throw a brainstorming question to all you smart guys out there about a subject I know only from the youtube videos I've just come across. Large scale electricity generation from piezoelectricity. I'm aware that this technology is used mostly on a small scale...
  4. kinisia

    Piezoelectricity in formulas

    Hi all , I am approaching now the piezoelectricity but I am studying economics so i have no knowledge to understand deeply some aspects of it. Anyway i am really interested in understanding it for myself. I understood all mechanism behind it but some things are still not clear. Let's start...
  5. ryanuser

    Efficiency of piezoelectric materials

    I was told that "piezoelectric materials can become more efficient if they were made to reduce their elasticity (the ones such as PVDF films that are flexiable).This is because the external energy is used to force the film back to its original shape just like when a spring is squashed; so most...
  6. ryanuser

    Piezo crystals and current generation

    hey can a piezo crystal generate current when it is hit as well as when it is exposed to sound?
  7. ryanuser

    Piezo materials -- piezo cable under saddle pickup for accoustic guitars

    Hey My question relates to piezo cable under saddle pickup for accoustic guitars. They change the guitar's sound into electrical energy. They work almost like a microphone. But these cables are bendable, would that mean bending them can cause an electrical impulse along Becasue they are up of...
  8. ryanuser

    Piezoelectric materials

    Hi Where can I buy Piezoelectric sheets? Similar to the one shown in the picture. Thanks
  9. R

    Piezoelectricity from wind on cars

    Would it be possible to put piezoelectric devices on the front of a car so that when the car is moving forward, the pressure from the wind on the car and piezo devices produces power to charge a battery? If the wind is strong enough, do you think there would be a considerable amount of energy...
  10. F

    Questions about piezoelectricity

    it is possible to build a device that can create an electrical current that can be felt on the skin from a mild pressure by the hand?, dose piezoelectric materials can create enough electricity from friction like rubing them with the hand?. don't ask for what it is, i just want to know
  11. M

    Piezoelectricity: how do we measure it?

    Hello everyone, I am running a physics class next week where I want to show to high school children the power of piezoelectricity. I want to let them see with their own eyes that if a crystal is squeezed the differential potential between two opposite faces will change accordingly to the...
  12. G

    Using piezoelectricity for data transmission.

    I am starting my 3rd year in September and I've decided to start thinking about research topics early. I'm quite interested in piezoelectricity along with it's discovered and perhaps undiscovered applications. This is my first idea; I have watched a lot of nature programs and I have seen that...
  13. K

    Investigating the Effects of Input Force on Output Voltage in Piezoelectricity

    Hi, I am doing my Extended Essay in Physics(so yeah, I am doing the IB). I am really interested in taking up electrical engineering at university, and so, I had done an EE in piezoelectricity. I have taken the crystal from a barbecue lighter and connected it to a vernier( a machine that can...
  14. R

    Friends,A doubt in piezoelectricity. I heard that when pressure is

    Friends, A doubt in piezoelectricity. I heard that when pressure is applied in a quartz crystals(or other similar items), a high voltage is produced and this is called piezoelectricity. My question is, is it necessary a pressure cycle should go on? i.e. first a high pressure, then low, then...
  15. Isaacsname

    Piezoelectricity and nano-materials

    My apologies in advance for ignorant questions. Are there any nanomaterials that exhibit piezoelectric properties ? Can they be engineered to take energy from surface waves at interfacial boundries ? I only ask after seeing the recent article on piezielectric vibration " harvesters " on the...
  16. S

    Question about Piezoelectricity

    I was reading the wiki article on Piezoelectricity and this effect is either really odd or I'm missing something obvious here (I know wikipedia is not the best source but I'm feeling lazy). The article states that a Piezoelectric material will produce a voltage in response to mechanical stress...
  17. D

    Industrial Design and Piezoelectricity

    Hello everyone. I'm an industrial designer based in New York City and I'm interested in harvesting human energy for my next design endeavor. I'm primarily doing research in Piezoelectricity and its applications in the small electronics industry i.e. cell phones, mp3s. I'm trying to design a...
  18. B

    Piezoelectricity measurement

    Hi all, I am trying to measure the piezoelectricity of a polymer film using a picoammeter. Right now I am trying to figure out the best way to make the connection to the film without sputtering electrodes onto it. I figure copper adhesive tape or silver paste might be the best way to go but...
  19. T

    How does quartz produce a charge when a force is applied?

    I'm doing a presentation on the physical properties of quartz for my Physics a-level and mostly on its piezoelectric properties but I am having trouble finding out exactly it produces a charge when a force is applied upon it. Any help anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated, also any...
  20. S

    Why does't amorphous silicon oxide present piezoelectricity?

    We know quartz,viz. crystal silicon oxide is a kind of piezoelectric solid.Does the amorphous silicon oxide present piezoelectricity also. If not,Why? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm not good at English, so if there is any language errors in my...
  21. E

    Can Piezoelectric Crystals Generate Electricity Under Stress?

    Piezoelectric Crystal Vibrates When Subjected To An Electric Pulse , Now I Wonder If Putting Stress On A Piezoelctric Crystal Would Yeild An Electric Pulse ?? And If That Is So, Are There Any Machines Based On This Theory ?and If There Are ,how Efficient Are They ??
Back
Top