Metallic molybdenum disulfide nanosheet-based electrochemical actuators.

Actuators that convert electrical energy to mechanical energy are useful in a wide variety of electromechanical systems and in robotics, with applications such as steerable catheters, adaptive wings for aircraft and drag-reducing wind turbines. Actuation systems can be based on various stimuli, such as heat, solvent adsorption/desorption, or electrochemical action (in systems such as carbon nanotube electrodes, graphite electrodes, polymer electrodes and metals). Here we demonstrate that the dynamic expansion and contraction of electrode films formed by restacking chemically exfoliated nanosheets of two-dimensional metallic molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) on thin plastic substrates can generate substantial mechanical forces. These films are capable of lifting masses that are more than 150 times that of the electrode over several millimetres and for hundreds of cycles. Specifically, the MoS2 films are able to generate mechanical stresses of about 17 megapascals-higher than mammalian muscle (about 0.3 megapascals) and comparable to ceramic piezoelectric actuators (about 40 megapascals)-and strains of about 0.6 per cent, operating at frequencies up to 1 hertz. The actuation performance is attributed to the high electrical conductivity of the metallic 1T phase of MoS2 nanosheets, the elastic modulus of restacked MoS2 layers (2 to 4 gigapascals) and fast proton diffusion between the nanosheets. These results could lead to new electrochemical actuators for high-strain and high-frequency applications.

(K0.44,Na0.52,Li0.04)(Nb0.84,Ta0.10,Sb0.06)O3 ferroelectric ceramics.

Recent progress in (K0.44, Na0.52, Li0.04)O3-based ceramics (KNN) with special emphasis on(K0.44,Na0.52,Li0.04)(Nb0.84,Ta0.10,Sb0.06)O3 (KNN-LT-LS) is reviewed concisely. The base KNN and its compositional derivatives are analyzed in terms of dopant-property relationships, which are then extended to the ternary derivatives. The effects of processing conditions such as humidity, precursor purity, and oxygen partial pressure during sintering are elaborated on from a phenomenological perspective. It is also shown that the spontaneous polarization is sensitive to the processing route chosen for synthesis (mixed oxide versus perovskite routes). Special attention is devoted to the discussion of the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) dilemma in the KNN-LT-LS system, where it is shown that the origin of high piezoelectric activity is actually due to a polymorphic transition at room temperature. It is shown that prototype transducers based on pure and 1 mol% Ba2+ doped KNN-LT-LS exhibit performance metrics comparable to those fabricated using PZT-5H. Overall, KNNLT- LS ceramics show great promise for lead-free applications, although issues such as temperature dependence of properties and strong sensitivity to processing conditions remain as the 2 major challenges.

Piezoelectric-electrostrictive monolithic bi-layer composite flextensional actuator.

We propose a new type of flextensional actuator comprised of an electromechanically active element which is a piezoelectric-electrostrictive monolithic bi-layer composite (PE-MBLC) capped by truncated thin brass sheets. The PE-MBLC contains equal amounts of 0.65[Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O(3)]-0.35PbTiO(3) and 0.9[Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O(3)]-0.1PbTiO(3) by volume, and is obtained by a co-sintering process. With applied E(max) = 10 kV/cm unipolar drive, the maximum axial displacement (u(33)) produced by the uncapped and capped PE-MBLC is 11 and 21 microm, respectively. The hysteresis in unipolar u(33) at 0.5 E(max) is 4.6% for the uncapped PE-MBLC, while that for the capped one is 11%. Under bipolar excitation, the maximum u(33) for uncapped is 11.6 microm at +E(max) and 6.6 microm at +E(max) with an asymmetry factor (zeta) of 1.75 for which u(33) < 0 for all E < 0. Under bipolar excitation, the maximum u(33) at +E(max) for the capped PE-MBLC is 19 microm while that for -E(max) is 8 microm with zeta = 2.4, for which u(33) > 0 at -E(max) but is smaller than the u(33) at +E(max). The origins of the observed asymmetry in u(33) are discussed in the context of symmetry superposition and deformation mechanics of the endcaps.

Paraelectric thin films by nanoscale engineering of epitaxy and planar anisotropy for microwave phase shifter applications.

Epitaxial and (110) oriented paraelectric thin films of Ba0.60Sro.40TiO3 were grown on (100) oriented NdGaO3 orthorhombic substrates, and the nonlinear dielectric properties were studied at 10 GHz along selected in-plane crystallographic directions in the film thickness range of 25-1200 nm. The measured dielectric properties show strong residual strain and in-plane directional dependence. For instance, the in-plane relative permittivity is found to vary from as much as 500 to 150 along [110] and [001], respectively, in the 600 nm film. Tunability was found to vary from as much as 54% to 20% in all films and directions. In a given film, the best tunability is observed along the compressed axis in a mixed strain state, 54% along [110] in the 600 nm film. It is shown that, by nanoscale manipulation of epitaxy and planar anisotropy, the return loss and phase shift in a paraelectric can be tuned over a rather wide range. The approach presented herein opens avenues for obtaining various degrees of phase shift on the same film, enabling one with an additional degree of freedom in device design and fabrication as well as multifunctionality.

Piezoelectric composites for sensor and actuator applications.

In the last 25 years, piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites have been conceptualized, prototyped, fabricated, and implemented in an array of applications encompassing medical imaging and military missions, among others. A detailed snapshot of the materials used, and a detailed account of the major innovative methods developed in making various piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites are presented. The salient aspects of processing of such composites are summarized, and structure-processing-property relations are described using connectivity as the unifying central concept. Computer-aided design (CAD)-based fabrication methods, which result in composites whose structural complexity surpass that of composites obtained with traditional methods, are described to introduce the reader to novel concepts in processing of piezocomposites. A brief survey of some recent advances made in modeling of (0-3), (1-3), and (2-2) composites also is provided.