In this work, we design and simulate a valve less, diaphragm-based, piezoelectric micro pump. The piezoelectric actuator is a PZT-5H piezo-disk, the diaphragm is a borosilicate glass plate. All the simulations were made using COMSOL Multiphysics software. First, the piezoelectric actuator and membrane thicknesses were chosen by means of a stationary simulation, using the piezoelectric devices m...

Due to their fast response, high accuracy and non-friction force, piezo-actuators have been widely employed in multiple degree-of-freedom (DOF) stages for various nano-positioning applications. The use of flexible hinges in these piezo-actuator-driven stages allows the elimination of the influence of friction and backlash clearance, as observed in other configurations; meanwhile it also causes ...

Unimorph design consisting of a piezoceramic bonded to an elastic surface is the most common structure used to induce deformations. The analytic models developed by Park and Agrawal are extensively used to determine the induced strain on piezo-actuated surfaces. These models are based on different strain distribution hypothesis that, however, do not consider the relative thickness size between ...

Piezo ion channels have been found to be essential for mechanical responses in cells. These channels were first shown to exist in Neuro2A cells, and the gene was identified by siRNAs that diminished the mechanical response. Piezo channels are approximately 2500 amino acids long, have between 24-32 transmembrane regions, and appear to assemble into tetramers and require no other proteins for act...

We study the microscopic basis of bistable switching of a confined liquid crystal via Monte Carlo simulations of hard pear-shaped particles. Using both dielectric and dipolar field couplings to this intrinsically flexoelectric fluid, it is shown that pulsed fields of opposing polarity can be used to switch between the vertical and hybrid aligned states. Further, it is shown that the field-susce...

In order to satisfy the rising energy demands of global consumption, a new cleaner and renewable power source needs to be explored, conceptualized and developed. This paper intends to introduce an alternative source of energy by using piezoelectric material -a class of smart material. A piezoelectric road that will produce electricity from the stress experienced by the roads due to the movement...

The charges in live cells interact with or produce electric fields, which results in enormous dielectric responses, flexoelectricity, and related phenomena. Here we report on a contraction of Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast) cells induced by magnetic fields, as observed using a phase-sensitive projection imaging technique. Unlike electric fields, magnetic fields only act on moving char...