Dielectric or Piezoelectric: What's the Difference?

AI Thread Summary
Dielectric materials and piezoelectric materials both involve polarization and dipole moments but serve different functions. Dielectric materials do not generate voltage without an external electric field, while piezoelectric materials generate voltage when mechanical stress is applied. Not all dielectric materials exhibit piezoelectric properties, but piezoelectric materials are typically dielectric as well. The piezoelectric effect is essentially the relationship between dielectric polarization and mechanical stress. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for applications in electronics and materials science.
Gunmo
Messages
11
Reaction score
1
Hi,

What is the difference between dielectric material and piezoelectric material ?
Even Wikipedia use exactly the same figure for illustration.

I googled,

Both of them is
- material between plates
- polarization, dipole of molecule

As far as I understood from google, When material is pressed between plate
- dielectric material do not create voltage if there is no external voltage.
- piezoelectric material create voltage without external voltage.

Am I correct ?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
A piezoelectric material is dielectric usually. Not all dielectric materials are piezoelectric.
 
  • Like
Likes davenn
Gunmo said:
As far as I understood from google, When material is pressed between plate
- dielectric material do not create voltage if there is no external voltage.
- piezoelectric material create voltage without external voltage.

Am I correct ?
Yes!
 
A piezoelectric material generates a voltage when pressure is applied, and the material is strained (deformed). The reverse can also happen: if a voltage is applied across a piezoelectric material, it deforms. quartz is a very important example of a piezoelectric material.
 
nasu said:
A piezoelectric material is dielectric usually. Not all dielectric materials are piezoelectric.
However a piezoelectric does not stop being a dielectric as well. The two proprties are not mutually exclusive.
 
nasu said:
However a piezoelectric does not stop being a dielectric as well. The two proprties are not mutually exclusive.
I agree. In fact the piezoelectric property is the dependence of the dielectric polarization on stress.
 
Back
Top