PFI:AIR - TT: Textured Piezoelectric Ceramics

该PFI：AIR技术翻译项目的重点是翻译压电陶瓷科学，以满足高性能传感器，执行器和换能器的需求。 压电效应是某些材料响应于所施加的机械应力而产生电荷的能力。 压电陶瓷在汽车、飞机、医疗器械、食品加工、家用电器等日用电器中发挥着重要作用。该项目将导致一种特殊类型的压电陶瓷：纹理压电陶瓷的制造工艺的规模扩大。纹理陶瓷具有以下独特的功能：三至五倍高的转换系数，在高温下的热稳定性，和机械鲁棒性相比，随机取向的多晶陶瓷。这些特性提供了以下优点：更高的效率、分辨率、成本节约、小型化和功率密度。织构陶瓷可以使用与随机陶瓷相同的工艺合成，因此不需要任何新的工具或设备。该项目解决了从研究发现到商业应用的以下技术差距。将分析实现纹理陶瓷的烧结阶段，以确定与扩大制造工艺相关的挑战，以确保一致的生产。这包括建立大量合成具有足够形态和尺寸的晶种的工艺，以及定制粘合剂燃尽和烧结曲线。将评估在实现大颗粒砖壁状微观结构中起决定性作用的工艺变量的影响。微结构中的基质/种子模板界面将使用高分辨率显微镜进行研究，以了解畴壁运动与外加电场的性质。反过来，这将提供对控制机械和电气老化行为的过程的评估。结合时间-温度相关的烧结研究，场应力相关的域迁移研究将提供一个全面的理解的织构陶瓷的机电行为。此外，参与该项目的本科生和研究生将通过弗吉尼亚理工大学的Catalyst计划、KnowledgeWorks创业活动、参加Nexus会议和参加iScholars计划获得创新和创业经验。该项目与哈里斯公司、Prime Photonics和弗吉尼亚理工大学知识产权局合作，以增强团队的研究能力，提供进入工业测试和制造环境的途径，并在这项从研究发现到商业现实的技术转化工作中指导商业化方面。

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating piezoelectric ceramic science to fill the need for high performance sensors, actuators and transducers. The piezoelectric effect is the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to an applied mechanical stress. Piezoelectric ceramics are important because they play critical role in daily use devices including automobiles, aircrafts, medical instruments, food processing, and house-hold electronics. This project will result in scale-up of the manufacturing process of a particular type of piezoelectric ceramic: textured piezoelectric ceramics. Textured ceramics have the following unique features: three-to-five times higher transduction coefficients, thermal stability over high temperatures, and mechanical robustness as compared to randomly oriented polycrystalline ceramics. These features provide the following advantages: higher efficiency, resolution, cost savings, miniaturization, and power density. Textured ceramics can be synthesized using the same process as that established for random ceramics and thus do not require any new tooling or equipment.This project addresses the following technology gaps as it translates from research discovery toward commercial application. The sintering stages in achieving textured ceramics will be analyzed to identify the challenges associated with scaling the manufacturing process to ensure consistent production. This includes establishing the process for synthesizing the seeds in large quantities with adequate morphology and dimension, and tailoring the binder-burnout and sintering profiles. The effect of processing variables that play a deterministic role in achieving the large grain brick-wall like microstructure will be evaluated. Matrix/seed template interfaces in the microstructure will be investigated using high resolution microscopy to understand the nature of domain wall motion with applied electric field. This, in turn, will provide assessment of the processes controlling the mechanical and electrical aging behavior. In conjunction with the time-temperature dependent sintering studies, the field-stress dependent domain migration studies will provide a full understanding of the electromechanical behavior of the textured ceramics. In addition, personnel involved in this project, undergraduate and graduate students, will receive innovation and entrepreneurship experiences through Virginia Tech's Catalyst program, KnowledgeWorks entrepreneurship events, participation in the Nexus Conference, and participation in the iScholars program.The project engages Harris Corporation, Prime Photonics, and the Virginia Tech Intellectual Property Office to augment the team's research capability, provide access to industrial testing and manufacturing environment, and guide commercialization aspects in this technology translation effort from research discovery toward commercial reality.