Posted on 04/19/2019 7:27:34 AM PDT by Red Badger
Scientists improved the performance of electricity-harvesting crystals by adding the rare earth metal samarium. Photo by Wikimedia Commons
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April 19 (UPI) -- Researchers have discovered that the addition of a rare earth metal significantly improves the performance of piezoelectric crystals.
Piezoelectric crystals are used in sensors, including underwater sonars and medical ultrasound imaging devices. These technologies use perovskite oxide crystals, or PMN-PT crystals.
Scientists have also tried to use piezoelectric crystals, which convert mechanical oscillations into electricity, to power wearable electronics and other types of novel technologies.
An international team of scientists from Australia, China and the United States found a way to improve the performance of PMN-PT crystals. Scientists added samarium atoms during the crystal growth process -- one samarium atom per thousand atoms of the parent crystal -- and found the additive created more homogeneous piezoelectric properties inside the crystal, boosting the crystal's performance.
The piezoelectric coefficient, quantified in picocoulombs per Newton, describes the efficiency of a material's piezoelectric properties. More efficient piezoelectric crystals do more with less.
In lab tests, scientists confirmed that conventional PMN-PT crystals feature a piezoelectric coefficient between 1,200 and 2,500 pC/N. PMN-PT crystals enhanced with samarium produced 3,400 to 4,100 pC/N.
Scientists also noted that the addition of samarium granted the crystals more uniform, or homogeneous, physical properties.
"These crystals are ideal for a variety of sensing applications and could reduce cost by eliminating waste," researchers wrote in their study, published this week in the journal Science.
I just want to celebrate.
L
Piezo devices can generate electricity when mechanical force is applied to them.
You are a POET! :-)
Apologies to Sam Colt.......................
Apologies to Sam Colt.......................>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sam Colts laser Pistol would have him renamed “ Shazam Colt!”
Yes, I understand that and appreciate the comment and should have left the solar reference out of mine. Piezo devices have many uses related to their production of minute amounts of electricity. Most BBQs these days use a Piezo igniter. A little spring loaded hammer hits some Crystals glued to a metal surface and it develops a high enough voltage to make a spark at the electrodes. They work great until the crystals surface starts to become degraded by grease and soot or they just start to fall off.
But my point was that the headline about “energy-harvesting piezoelectric crystals” implies to most people that this is a breakthrough in energy production while the devices discussed in the article are used as sensors not energy producing devices.
And who has the Samarium market cornered?
I’m visualizing seismic sensors to forecast earthquakes.
Thanks Red Badger. Sounds like something that will have an impact on mobile phone tech, other wearables. Going for a ST list ping, as it is more or less general physics anyway (should be called the Ping Theory List?) and tossing a few other names down where they won't show.
Bugs, spy type - not insect type, will become smaller and more sensitive........................
I’ve grown so accustomed to the climate change/alternative energy bs that I must be filtering it out. Thanks for pointing it out.
That too. Considering that public key encryption was actually figured out in classified circles well before the public development of it, I'd be surprised if there isn't something like this already in use.
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