A synchronized piezoelectric and luminescence (SPL) material includes a core layer including light-emitting particles and a shell layer which is attached onto a surface of the core layer and includes ligands having a piezoelectric property. Therefore, a piezoelectric property and a luminescent property can be simultaneously implemented using a single SPL material in which piezoelectric ligands and light-emitting particles are chemically coupled.

A shear vibration-based piezoelectric composite material and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. The piezoelectric composite material includes a piezoelectric material and the passive material. The piezoelectric material includes a piezoelectric material polarized along the x-axis positive and a piezoelectric material negatively polarized along the x-axis. The piezoelectric materials in the two polarization directions are alternately arranged along the x-axis direction. The passive material includes a filling layer, a transition layer, and a planar layer. The filling layer is disposed between every two adjacent piezoelectric materials. The planar layer is located outer two surfaces perpendicular to the z-axis of the piezoelectric material. The planar layer on one side is fixedly connected to the filling layer in the odd-numbered position via the transition layer. The planar layer on the other side is fixedly connected to the filling layer in the even-numbered position via the transition layer. The piezoelectric composite material can be used to prepare an underwater acoustic transducer, a hydrophone, piezoelectric energy harvesters, and the like. The invention innovatively converts shear vibrations into the thickness vibrations of the upper and lower surfaces of the composite material, thereby improving the performance of the composite material.

An electroactive device may include (1) an electroactive polymer element having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface, (2) a primary electrode abutting the first surface, and (3) a secondary electrode abutting the second surface. The electroactive polymer element may be transformed from an initial state to a deformed state and may achieve substantially uniform strain by the application of an electrostatic field produced by a potential difference between the electrodes. Various other devices, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

A self-latching piezocomposite actuator includes a plurality of shape memory ceramic fibers. The actuator can be latched by applying an electrical field to the shape memory ceramic fibers. The actuator remains in a latched state/shape after the electrical field is no longer present. A reverse polarity electric field may be applied to reset the actuator to its unlatched state/shape. Applied electric fields may be utilized to provide a plurality of latch states between the latched and unlatched states of the actuator. The self-latching piezocomposite actuator can be used for active/adaptive airfoils having variable camber, trim tabs, active/deformable engine inlets, adaptive or adjustable vortex generators, active optical components such as mirrors that change shapes, and other morphing structures.

Parts made by additive manufacturing are often structural in nature, rather than having functional properties conveyed by a polymer or other component. Printed parts having piezoelectric properties may be formed using a composite filament comprising a plurality of piezoelectric particles dispersed in a thermoplastic polymer. The composite filaments may be formed through melt blending and extrusion. The composite filament is compatible with fused filament fabrication and has a length and diameter compatible with fused filament fabrication, and the piezoelectric particles are substantially non-agglomerated and dispersed along the length of the composite filament. The piezoelectric particles may remain substantially non-agglomerated when dispersed in the thermoplastic polymer through melt blending. Additive manufacturing processes may comprise heating such a composite filament at or above a melting point or softening temperature thereof to form a softened composite material, and depositing the softened composite material layer by layer to form a printed part.

Provided is a piezoelectric material filler including alkali niobate compound particles having a ratio (K/(Na+K)) of the number of moles of potassium to the total number of moles of sodium and potassium of 0.460 to 0.495 in terms of atoms and a ratio ((Li+Na+K)/Nb) of the total number of moles of alkali metal elements to the number of moles of niobium of 0.995 to 1.005 in terms of atoms. The present invention can provide a piezoelectric material filler having excellent piezoelectric properties, and a composite piezoelectric material including the piezoelectric material filler and a polymer matrix.

Provided is a piezoelectric element capable of preventing the occurrence of poor connection to an electrode layer.

A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric layer, electrode layers formed on both sides of the piezoelectric layer, and a protective layer laminated on a surface of the electrode layer opposite to a surface on a piezoelectric layer side, in which the piezoelectric element includes a conductive foil laminated on a surface of the protective layer opposite to the electrode layer, the protective layer has a hole that penetrates from a surface to the electrode layer, the conductive foil includes an opening portion at a position that overlaps with the hole of the protective layer in a surface direction, the piezoelectric element includes a filling member consisting of a conductive material, which is formed on at least a part of a surface of the conductive foil from insides of the hole of the protective layer and an opening portion of the conductive foil and is electrically connected to the electrode layer and the conductive foil, and a covering member that covers the filling member and the conductive foil, the covering member has a through-hole at a position that does not overlap with the filling member in the surface direction, and the piezoelectric element includes a conductive member, which is inserted into the through-hole of the covering member and electrically connected to the conductive foil.

An object of the present invention is to provide a laminated piezoelectric element in which piezoelectric films are laminated, capable of easily performing connection of an electrode layer of each piezoelectric film and an external device. The piezoelectric film includes a piezoelectric layer and a laminated sheet in which an electrode layer and a protective layer are laminated, piezoelectric layers are arranged between the laminated sheets facing the electrode layer, the laminated sheet includes a protruding portion protruding from the piezoelectric layer, the protruding portion is provided with a lead-out wire attached to a surface between the electrode layer and the protective layer, and the object is achieved by contacting the lead-out wire and connecting electrode layers having a same polarity of each piezoelectric film.

There is provided a piezoelectric material not containing any lead component, having stable piezoelectric characteristics in an operating temperature range, a high mechanical quality factor, and satisfactory piezoelectric characteristics. The piezoelectric material includes a main component containing a perovskite-type metal oxide that can be expressed using the following general formula (1), and subcomponents containing Mn, Li, and Bi. When the metal oxide is 100 parts by weight, the content of Mn on a metal basis is not less than 0.04 parts by weight and is not greater than 0.36 parts by weight, content α of Li on a metal basis is not less than 0.0013 parts by weight and is not greater than 0.0280 parts by weight, and content β of Bi on a metal basis is not less than 0.042 parts by weight and is not greater than 0.850 parts by weight
(Ba.sub.1-xCa.sub.x).sub.a(Ti.sub.1-y-zZr.sub.ySn.sub.z)O.sub.3  (1)
(in the formula (1), 0.09≦x≦0.30, 0.074<y≦0.085, 0≦z≦0.02, and 0.986≦a≦1.02).

A piezoelectric material contains ferroelectric particles and an adhesive resin. The ratio of the ferroelectric particles relative to the total mass of the ferroelectric particles and the adhesive resin is 40 mass % or greater and 98 mass % or less.