Nylon finally takes its place as a piezoelectric textile

Nylon might seem the obvious go-to material for electronic textiles—not only is there an established textiles industry based on nylon, but it conveniently has a crystalline phase that is piezoelectric—tap it and you get ...

The origin of ultrahigh piezoelectric response

All ferroelectric materials possess a property known as piezoelectricity in which an applied mechanical force can generate an electrical current and an applied electrical field can elicit a mechanical response. Ferroelectric ...

Physicists determine how a promising lead-free material works

Scientists seeking lead-free materials for use in sensors, actuators and ultrasonic motors have recently focused their efforts on a type of ceramic commonly referred to as BCZT. New research by physicists at the University ...