Comparison of Metal-Based PZT and PMN–PT Energy Harvesters Fabricated by Aerosol Deposition Method

Abstract

In this study, polycrystalline lead magnesium niobate–lead titanate (PMN–PT) was explored as an alternative piezoelectric material, with a higher power density for energy harvesting (EH), and comprehensively compared to the widely used polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT). First, the size distribution and piezoelectric properties of PZT and PMN–PT raw powders and ceramics were compared. Thereafter, both materials were deposited on stainless-steel substrates as 10 μm thick films using the aerosol deposition method. The films were processed as {3–1}-mode cantilever-type EH devices using microelectromechanical systems. The films with different annealing temperatures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and dielectric behavior measurements. Furthermore, the mechanical and electrical properties of PMN–PT- and PZT-based devices were measured and compared. The PMN–PT-based devices showed a higher Young’s modulus and lower damping ratio. Owing to their higher figure of merit and lower piezoelectric voltage constant, they showed a higher power and lower voltage than the PZT-based devices. Finally, when poly-PMN–PT material was the active layer, the output power was enhanced by 26% at the 0.5 g acceleration level. Thus, these devices exhibited promising properties, meeting the high current and low voltage requirements in integrated circuit designs.

Multifunctional energy storage and piezoelectric properties of 0.65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.35PbTiO3 thick films on stainless-steel substrates

“…However, little research has been done on the integration of ferroelectric ceramics on SS. Currently, there are few reports on the deposition of Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 -based [14,[17][18][19][20][21], BaTiO 3 -based [22][23][24] and (K,Na)NbO 3 -based [25] thick films on SS. In our previous work, energy storage-efficient PMN-10PT thick films were integrated on SS substrates [26], while this study focuses on a ferroelectric PMN-35PT with a composition close to the morphotropic phase boundary responsible for high piezoelectric response in bulk ceramics [3][4][5].…”