Heteroepitaxy of flexible piezoelectric Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 sensor on inorganic mica substrate for lamb wave-based structural health monitoring

Active Lamb wave detection is an effective and simple monitoring method for structural health (SHM). Piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics are most commonly used as transducers to excite receive wave. However, due their hardness, thickness brittleness, PZT severely limited in detecting damage on curved surface structures. Herein, we report that flexible film sensor excellent candidate receiving wave-based SHM of aircraft. An improved piezoelectric coefficient d33 (~130 pm V−1) obtained epitaxial films grown inorganic mica substrates via van der Waals heteroepitaxy. Superior stable ferroelectricity piezoelectricity retain after bending 104 cycles under a radius 8 mm. As proven by experiment simulation, demonstrated ultrasonic with high sensitivity be bonded the aluminum plate monitoring. Our work demonstrates have enormous potential real-time light-weight high-sensitivity receiver sensors aging