High–Strain Piezoelectric Ceramics for Sonar Applications

Competitive advantage

• Conventional piezoelectric ceramics for sonar applications operate by microstructural mechanisms, limiting their strain magnitudes
• Structural knowledge of phase change processes in an electric field opens the possibility of achieving larger strains
• Performance metrics of these materials can be superior for specific sonar applications
• Fabrication costs are in-line with conventional functional ceramic processing

Impact

• More efficient, accurate and compact sonar systems

Capabilities and facilities

• Ceramic fabrication facilities for small batch testing. Aqueous and nonaqueous processing
• Range of milling equipment from regular ball milling to high-energy planetary milling
• Furnace facilities for sintering under various atmospheres
• Electro-mechanical characterisation equipment for measurement of local and bulk properties
• In situ structural characterisation capabilities for observing grain-scale response of electro-ceramics during actuation