Technologies enabling effective conversions between electrical and mechanical energies or signals are required for realizing electromechanical sensors and transducers. High performance piezo-materials and their enabled devices, with piezoelectric responses inherent to their polar or asymmetric structures (such as in ferroelectrics), or piezoelectric-like behavior, can offer the efficient electromechanical coupling functions desired, and thus are obtaining wider applications.
At IMRE, we aim to enhance and utilize our expertise and capabilities in piezo-materials and their enabled devices for developing competitive and sustainable technical solutions to the challenges arising in several areas, including structural and condition monitoring, noise mitigation, health care, and intelligent manufacturing.
Piezo-material and device applications with electromechanical signal/energy conversion.
CAPABILITIES
- Design, processing, and evaluation of high performance piezo-materials, including ferroelectric and other extrinsic piezoelectric effect, with large electromechanical response.
- Design, fabrication, and demonstration of sensor and transducer prototypes made of the piezo-materials, customized aiming at different applications.
- Development of technical solutions to industry and societal challenges, enabled by the piezo-materials, electromechanical sensors and transducers, particularly in structural and condition monitoring, noise mitigation, health care, and intelligent manufacturing.
Several piezo-materials developed by IMRE aiming at different applications, including new compositions licensed by industry and lead-free compositions promising for replacing the currently used lead-based piezo-ceramic in the future.
Unique high performance ultrasonic transducers produced at IMRE that have demonstrated advantages in ultrasonic and photoacoustic imaging. Their applications for ultrasonic and photoacoustic non-destructive testing (NDT) and medical diagnostic are under exploration through industry licensing and collaboration.
Piezo transparent speakers, piezo foams and piezo composite coating produced by IMRE have shown improved performance for absorbing airborne sound or damping structural vibration. The team is exploring their application values for noise mitigation in industry and residence.
HIGHLIGHTS & ACHIEVEMENTS
- Patents: 40+; Journal publications & invited/keynote talks: 250+
- Highlighted applications: structural and condition monitoring, noise mitigation, health care, and intelligent manufacturing.
- Commercialized optical sensor and UV monitor from ferroelectrics, IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Awards, 2018
- Direct-write ultrasonic sensors for SHM, Best Paper Award (Diagnostics, Prognostics & Health Management), IEEE Aerospace 2020, USA
- Lead-free piezo-materials with outstanding performance (Science 369, 292-297, 252-253, 2020)