Professor Xiong Rengen showed the latest findings to the media in the laboratory.
In an interview with reporters on the 22nd, Professor Xiong Rengen introduced that piezoelectricity refers to the characteristic that a material can generate electricity when it is squeezed or stretched, or it can be extended or shortened after a voltage is applied across the material. Piezoelectric materials, also known as piezoelectric materials, can not only directly convert electric energy into driving force like a motor, but also generate sound waves and ultrasonic waves through electricity. For example, piezoelectric materials are used for medical B-ultrasound probes. Moreover, by virtue of its ability to convert pressure into electrical signals, piezoelectric materials are also used as ultrasonic sensors, acceleration sensors and so on. Now, the function of "shaking" on smart phones is realized by piezoelectric acceleration sensors. "From satellite rockets to fishing boats and submarines, from military missiles to medical ultrasound, it can be said that the use of piezoelectric materials has penetrated into all levels of society."
The research group of Southeast University was interviewed.
However, with the development of science and technology, people want all kinds of electrical equipment to be smaller and smaller, which requires the traditional piezoelectric materials to be "compressed" in a wider range, and even become fabrics and clothes to wear.
"These requirements will bring many problems to the traditional piezoelectric materials," Professor Xiong Rengen told reporters. For example, the production of piezoelectric ceramics requires thousands of degrees of high temperature. At this temperature, most sophisticated electronic equipment and flexible films can't withstand this temperature; At the same time, the high hardness of ceramics becomes a disadvantage when meeting the flexible demand; In addition, it has to be mentioned that traditional piezoelectric ceramics usually contain potentially toxic metals, which is not conducive to environmental protection and may be toxic to organisms.
It must be mentioned that in addition to traditional ceramic materials, there is another kind of "molecular material" composed of molecules. This kind of special material has been one of the hot spots in the field of material research because of its flexible structure, large control space for performance design, low manufacturing cost, easy to make into films, good flexibility, biodegradability and non-toxicity.
The latest discovery of molecular piezoelectric materials means that China is in a leading position in this field.
"In order to supplement the problems existing in the application of traditional piezoelectric ceramics, researchers have been trying to improve the piezoelectric properties of molecular materials for nearly a hundred years, hoping to make up for the shortcomings of piezoelectric ceramics with molecular materials, but the results have been minimal." Professor Xiong Rengen introduced that, therefore, his research team broke through the traditional synthesis idea, found a new way, innovatively started with increasing the number of iron electrode axes, and found a class of molecular ferroelectric materials with excellent piezoelectric properties by using the great changes of symmetry before and after phase transformation.
It is understood that this new type of molecular ferroelectric material not only inherits the advantages of molecular materials, but also reaches the level of traditional piezoelectric ceramics in piezoelectric properties for the first time. Although the research only exists in the laboratory, with the development and progress of new molecular ferroelectrics, it is no longer an unattainable dream to make practical flexible thin film piezoelectric elements.
"In the future, this molecular ferroelectric material with excellent piezoelectric properties will further reduce the size of computer chips, making it possible to fold the bent heart rate meter and B-ultrasound machine like paper, or use the bending of clothes to charge mobile phones. At the same time, with the good biocompatibility of molecular materials, people will make safer medical implants. In addition, molecular piezoelectric materials also have great application prospects in sensors, human-computer interaction technology, micro-electromechanical systems, nano-robots, active flexible electronics and so on. " Professor Xiong Rengen is full of confidence in the future application of this material.
The reporter learned that this research achievement was published online by the top international academic magazine Science on July 2, 2065438, marking that China has once again taken the lead in the field of molecular materials.
The development of science and technology will make everything more convenient in the future. I am looking forward to it!