Electrostriction of lead zirconate titanate/polyurethane composites

Journal Article · Sun May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2005 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1906285· OSTI ID:20709662

Lam, K S; Zhou, Y; Wong, Y W; Shin, F G ^[1]

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1. Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong (China)

Electrostriction of a ferroelectric inclusion/nonferroelectric matrix composite system was studied. The samples were prepared by blending the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) particles with the thermoplastic polyurethane through extrusion and subsequently by hot pressing. Quasistatic cyclic electric fields were applied across the samples while strains and currents were monitored simultaneously. It was found that the electrostriction of the composites depended on the applied electric field in a hysteretic manner. In particular at the high-field regime, the samples exhibited a reversal in the electrostrictive strain. This switching effect occurred at a critical field which was inversely proportional to the PZT content. An associated increase in the displacement current with the critical field was also observed. It indicates that the switching in strain of the composites was mainly due to the flipping of the PZT dipoles in the nonferroelectric polymer matrix. A model was developed for describing the electrostriction behavior of this composite system and the calculated results are comparable to the experimental curves. The success of this theoretical model encourages its application further to the ferroelectric-ferroelectric composite systems.

• OSTI ID: 20709662
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 97; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CERAMICS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
CRITICAL FIELD
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
DIPOLES
ELASTICITY
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
EXTRUSION
HOT PRESSING
HYSTERESIS
INCLUSIONS
PARTICLES
POLYURETHANES
PZT
REINFORCED MATERIALS
STRAINS
THERMOPLASTICS