Expanding the application space for piezoelectric materials

The long history of innovation in the field piezoelectric devices has, over last 65 years, been predominantly rooted a single material, Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 ceramic, known as lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Despite enormous resources being dedicated 20 years to identifying lead-free alternatives PZT and developing thriving, but limited, market PbTiO3-relaxor crystals, most device developments are still based. However, more recently, solid solutions based on BiFeO3 have opened up new applications for active at high temperatures (to 600 °C) under stress (exceeding 250 MPa), with industrial ultrasound, aerospace, automotive, micro-actuators. This perspective article examines how materials expanding application space materials.