Processing of Smart Porous Electro-Ceramic Transducers - ProSPECT

铁电体是响应于机械应力或温度的变化而产生电荷的高极性材料。这些特性使它们成为压电压力传感器、加速度计、声纳、振动能量采集器和热释电热探测器的特殊材料。虽然这些材料中的孔隙率目前被视为缺陷，但我将确定孔隙率可以实现性能的阶跃变化，以生产用于传感器，声纳和能量收集的下一代材料。新的建模工具将告知孔结构如何增强机械，热和介电性能，并修改内部电场和畴结构，以使多孔铁电体的设计具有专门针对每个应用的特性。为了制造具有所需孔结构的铁电材料，基于冷冻铸造的新制造工艺将提供多孔材料、多功能复合材料和织构晶体，其对孔结构和性质具有前所未有的控制。我还将探索新的和破坏性的应用，以利用多孔铁电材料的独特性能，其中由热或机械负载产生的铁电电荷将用于通过水分解制氢或去除污染物/细菌进行水净化。我的愿景是整合新的建模工具和制造方法，开创先进多孔铁电体的使用，以解决传感，收集，制氢，水处理等领域的重要高风险和高收益的全球研究挑战。

Ferroelectrics are highly polar materials that generate electrical charge in response to a change in mechanical stress or temperature. These properties make them exceptional materials for piezoelectric pressure sensors, accelerometers, SONAR, vibration energy harvesters, and pyroelectric thermal detectors. While porosity in these materials is currently viewed as a defect, I will establish that porosity can achieve a step-change in performance to produce next generation materials for sensors, SONAR, and energy harvesting. New modelling tools will inform how the pore structure can enhance the mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties and modify the internal electric field and domain structure to enable the design of porous ferroelectrics with properties that are specifically tailored to each application. To create ferroelectric materials with the required pore structure, new manufacturing processes based on freeze-casting will deliver porous materials, multi- functional composites, and textured crystals with unprecedented control over pore structure and properties. I will also explore new and disruptive applications that to exploit the unique properties of porous ferroelectric materials, where ferroelectric charges generated by thermal or mechanical loads will be used for hydrogen production by water splitting or remove pollutants/bacteria for water purification. My vision is to integrate the new modelling tools and manufacturing methods to pioneer the use of advanced porous ferroelectrics in addressing important high-risk and high-gain global research challenges in the areas of sensing, harvesting, hydrogen generation, water treatment, and beyond.