Processing of Smart Porous Electro-Ceramic Transducers - ProSPECT
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
Ferroelectrics are highly polar materials that generate electrical charge in response to a change in mechanical stress or temperature. These properties make them exceptional materials for piezoelectric pressure sensors, accelerometers, SONAR, vibration energy harvesters, and pyroelectric thermal detectors. While porosity in these materials is currently viewed as a defect, I will establish that porosity can achieve a step-change in performance to produce next generation materials for sensors, SONAR, and energy harvesting. New modelling tools will inform how the pore structure can enhance the mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties and modify the internal electric field and domain structure to enable the design of porous ferroelectrics with properties that are specifically tailored to each application. To create ferroelectric materials with the required pore structure, new manufacturing processes based on freeze-casting will deliver porous materials, multi- functional composites, and textured crystals with unprecedented control over pore structure and properties. I will also explore new and disruptive applications that to exploit the unique properties of porous ferroelectric materials, where ferroelectric charges generated by thermal or mechanical loads will be used for hydrogen production by water splitting or remove pollutants/bacteria for water purification. My vision is to integrate the new modelling tools and manufacturing methods to pioneer the use of advanced porous ferroelectrics in addressing important high-risk and high-gain global research challenges in the areas of sensing, harvesting, hydrogen generation, water treatment, and beyond.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Christopher Bowen (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
![publication icon](/resources/img/placeholder-60x60.png)
Li Z
(2023)
A comprehensive energy flow model for piezoelectric energy harvesters: Understanding the relationships between material properties and power output
in Materials Today Energy
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Li Z
(2024)
Energy Harvesting from Water Flow by Using Piezoelectric Materials
in Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research
![publication icon](/resources/img/placeholder-60x60.png)
Morris J
(2024)
Exploring Pyroelectricity, Thermal and Photochemical Switching in a Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Crystal by In Situ X-Ray Diffraction
in Angewandte Chemie
![publication icon](/resources/img/placeholder-60x60.png)
Morris JJ
(2024)
Exploring Pyroelectricity, Thermal and Photochemical Switching in a Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Crystal by In Situ X-Ray Diffraction.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
![publication icon](/resources/img/placeholder-60x60.png)
Narayan B
(2024)
Temperature-Dependent Ferroelectric Properties and Aging Behavior of Freeze-Cast Bismuth Ferrite-Barium Titanate Ceramics.
in ACS applied materials & interfaces
![publication icon](/resources/img/placeholder-60x60.png)
Wang Q
(2024)
Plasmonic-Pyroelectric Materials and Structures
in Advanced Functional Materials
![publication icon](/resources/img/placeholder-60x60.png)
Xu Q
(2024)
Highly Flexible, High-Performance, and Stretchable Piezoelectric Sensor Based on a Hierarchical Droplet-Shaped Ceramics with Enhanced Damage Tolerance.
in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)