Press
 
Media factsheet

The Piezo Institute is the centre of European expertise and resources in the fast growing field of piezoelectric materials and devices. It has been created by the EU-funded MIND Network of Excellence and is an excellent example of collaboration between universities and industry. Founding members are from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

Piezoelectric materials are successfully and profitably applied in many applications and industries. They improve product quality, sensing capabilities and device performance. The Piezo Institute will help European academics and businesses – world leaders in the field – to expand piezoelectric materials and devices into new applications.

What is piezoelectricity?

Piezoelectricity is the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to mechanical stress; for example, generators in your shoes could charge your iPod as you walk.

They also have the opposite effect: the application of electric voltage produces mechanical strain in piezoelectric materials.

Both of these effects can be measured, making piezoelectric materials effective in sensors and transducers.

Applications

After spending the first few decades after its discovery as a lab curiosity, the piezoelectric effect has become a common part of many technologies we routinely use in everyday life. It is crucial in the healthcare and automotive industries, and environmental monitoring.

Generators / igniters Piezoelectric ceramics generate voltages sufficient to spark across an electrode gap.
  Example: igniters in fuel lighters, gas stoves, welding equipment etc.
   
Capacitors The electrical energy generated by piezoelectric materials can be stored.
  Example: excellent solid-state batteries for electronic circuits.
   
Sensors A sensor converts a physical parameter, eg acceleration or pressure, into an electrical signal. A system responds (visually, audibly, or physically) to sensor input.
  Example: automobile seatbelts that lock in response to a rapid deceleration.
   
Actuators Piezoelectric motors are unaffected by energy efficiency losses that limit the miniaturisation of electromagnetic motors. Another advantage is the absence of electromagnetic noise.
  Example: piezoelectric actuators are used to control hydraulic valves, act as small-volume pumps, or special-purpose motors.
   
Transducers Piezoelectric transducers convert electrical energy into vibrational mechanical energy, often sound or ultrasound. These transducers have significant advantages over alternative electromagnetic devices. They are compact, simple, highly reliable, and minimal energy can produce a high level of sound – characteristics that are ideally matched to the needs of battery-powered equipment.
  Example: medical ultrasound scans.

All genuine media requests should be directed as follows:

Piezo Institute central press office

media@piezoinstitute.com

+44 845 680 1862

 

 
 
News in brief
 
  Click on these links to access news from the piezo community  
 

13 Dec 2011
PI member announced as the new Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Applied Ceramics

29 Nov 2011
PI member - new route to synthesis KNN published

29 Sep 2011
Remote control relies on bends and twists to operate

12 Sep 2011
Mobile phones could soon be 'powered by walking'

12 Sep 2011
Development of self charging batteries from ambient vibration

 
 
Events
 
 

2012 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit
April 9 - April 13, 2012
Moscone West Convention Center - San Francisco, California

2012 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit. Starting with just four symposia in 1983, the MRS Spring Meeting ...

2nd TYC WORKSHOP & TUTORIAL ON ENERGY MATERIALS
6-8 June 2012
King’s College London, London, UK

This workshop will bring together experimentalists, theorists and computational scientists working ...

Actuator 12
18-20 June 2012
Bremen, Germany

International conference and exhibition on new actuators and drive systems.

Actuators 2012, the ...


 
 
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