Transparent ferroelectric single crystals (Left). [Photo/Science and Technology Daily]
China's Ministry of Science and Technology unveiled the country's top 10 scientific advances of 2020 on Feb 27.
Transparent ferroelectric single crystals with ultrahigh piezoelectricity developed by professor Xu Zhuo and his research team at Xi'an Jiaotong University are among the top advances. The crystals are expected to help realize industrialization and commercialization at the Suzhou Industrial Technology Research Institute's electronic functional materials technology branch in Xushuguan, Suzhou New District.
Transparent piezoelectrics are needed for a variety of hybrid ultrasound–optical devices, ranging from photoacoustic imaging transducers to transparent actuators for haptic applications.
However, it is difficult to achieve high piezoelectricity and perfect transparency simultaneously because most high-performance piezoelectrics are ferroelectrics that contain high-density light-scattering domain walls.
Professor Xu made the crystals to enhance the performance of single crystal PMN-PT. His research, which was published in the journal Nature, offers a model for achieving high transparency and piezoelectricity through ferroelectric domain engineering.
These transparent ferroelectric crystals are expected to be used in a variety of hybrid device applications, such as medical imaging, self-energy-harvesting touch screens, and invisible robotic devices.
Professor Xu Zhuo (center in white) and his team. [Photo/sitri.org.cn]
