New study reveals how to unlock electromechanical properties in ceramic materials

Scientists have developed a new way to make piezoelectric ceramics – materials generating electricity under mechanical stress – that can better withstand extreme heat and continue performing reliably in sensors and actuators. Using heat to organise lead-free bismuth ferrite-barium titanate ceramic from within, they created tiny regions with slightly different chemical compositions throughout the ceramic. Together these regions formed an internal network that changes how the material reacts to electrical and mechanical forces.