Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vladimir Lucian Ene, Valentin Razvan Lupu, Claudiu Vasile Condor, Roxana Elena Patru, Luminita Mirela Hrib, Luminita Amarande, Adrian Ionut Nicoara, Lucian Pintilie, Adelina-Carmen Ianculescu
Summary: Fine-tuning of grain sizes can greatly affect the interaction between different dielectric phenomena, allowing the development of materials with tailored dielectric responses. Understanding the relationship between grain size and dielectric properties can lead to the design and optimization of materials for specific applications.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Hao Yang, Jinyan Zhao, Jian Zhuang, Manuel Hinterstein, Wei Ren, Zuo-Guang Ye, Nan Zhang
Summary: In this study, a polycrystalline ceramic material was investigated to understand the origin of its electromechanical strain. An ergodic-relaxor to nonergodic-relaxor transition was observed under a weak electric field, and a more stable long-range ferroelectric phase was induced under a larger electric field. The reversible phase transition was accompanied by the process of local polarization freezing and ferroelectric domain growth, which contributed to the macroscopic strain.
JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
Tomasz Zawada, Torsten Bove, Konstantin Astafiev, Erling Ringgaard, Rasmus Lou-Moeller
Summary: This article describes high-intensity focused ultrasound transducers operating at 4 MHz based on lead-free piezoceramics. The evaluation of the piezoelectric material and the performance of the transducers demonstrate the potential of the lead-free material in high-power therapeutic ultrasound.
ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Acoustics
Yi Quan, Chunlong Fei, Wei Ren, Lingyan Wang, Gang Niu, Jinyan Zhao, Jian Zhuang, Junshan Zhang, Kun Zheng, Pengfei Lin, Xinhao Sun, Qiang Chen, Zuo-Guang Ye, Tomoaki Karaki
Summary: The lead-free KNLN-BZ-BNT textured ceramic has high piezoelectric response, superior thermal stability, and excellent fatigue resistance, making it a promising candidate for high-frequency ultrasonic transducer applications.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS FERROELECTRICS AND FREQUENCY CONTROL
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Fengji Zheng, Shijuan Lu, Xue Tian, Xiaodong Jiang, Ze Fang, Yongcheng Zhang
Summary: This paper investigates the effect of Sm doping on the phase structure, dielectric properties, ferroelectricity, and electrocaloric properties of 0.5BZT-0.5BCT ceramics. The results show that appropriate Sm doping can improve the dielectric, ferroelectric, and electrothermal properties of lead-free ceramics.
POWDER METALLURGY AND METAL CERAMICS
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
Huaiyu Wu, Bohua Zhang, Chih-Chung Huang, Chang Peng, Qifa Zhou, Xiaoning Jiang
Summary: The study developed a dual-mode ultrasound catheter for in vitro sonothrombolysis, demonstrating enhanced treatment efficacy by adjusting the position of the treatment transducer to target the clot location.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS FERROELECTRICS AND FREQUENCY CONTROL
(2022)
Article
Acoustics
Boquan Wang, Yulin Zhou, Yuchen Wang, Xiaoniu Li, Liyuan He, Zhiyi Wen, Teng Cao, Lei Sun, Dawei Wu
Summary: This study proposes a new scanning method using a helical ultrasonic motor for 3-D IVUS imaging, which overcomes the challenges of existing systems that use electromagnetic motors. The ultrasonic motor is compact, lightweight, free of EMI, and shows promising application potential in mobile imaging devices. Experimental results demonstrate superior signal-to-noise ratio, rotary speed, and positioning accuracy of the proposed imaging device, with successful imaging of phantoms and porcine coronary artery.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS FERROELECTRICS AND FREQUENCY CONTROL
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Chang Peng, Huaiyu Wu, Seungsoo Kim, Xuming Dai, Xiaoning Jiang
Summary: As a well-known medical imaging methodology, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging performs critical role in diagnosing, guiding treatment, and assessing post-treatment conditions of coronary artery diseases. The ultrasound transducer, as the key component of IVUS system, plays a crucial role in determining the IVUS imaging performance. Recent advances in ultrasound transducers have been reported for IVUS imaging applications, showing promising prospects for future studies in IVUS imaging.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zehuan Wang, Denghao Ma, Yunhan Wang, Yan Xie, Zhonghui Yu, Jin Cheng, Li Li, Liang Sun, Shuxiang Dong, Hong Wang
Summary: A design strategy inspired by Kirigami/Origami was proposed for the preparation of curved and porous piezoelectric ceramics with specific shapes. The ceramics produced using this strategy exhibit a high piezoelectric constant and are well-suited for use in the human body to detect pulse signals. This strategy provides a new approach for the large-scale and low-cost production of complex-shaped ceramics.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
B. Sahoo, T. S. Thejas, E. D. Politova, P. K. Panda
Summary: Lead-free piezo materials are gaining popularity due to concerns over the toxicity of PbO in PZT. Among the various lead-free piezo systems explored, BZT-BCT shows great promise with its high piezoelectric coefficients and extensive research on structure modification and dopants to improve its electrical properties.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Junjie Xiao, Sixing Liu, Jushan Wang, Jialin Xu, Zhang Zhang, Xi'an Wang, Yanxue Tang, Haosu Luo, Zhu Liang
Summary: Lead-free single crystals 0.92Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-0.08Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3 (NBT-BZT) near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) exhibit temperature-induced phase transition behavior, with phase transition temperatures at approximately 200°C and 328°C. Furthermore, the thermal evolution of phase structure in NBT-BZT single crystals was confirmed through Raman spectroscopy and optical domain structure observation, shedding light on the nature of ferroelectric phase transitions.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yi Quan, Chunlong Fei, Wei Ren, Lingyan Wang, Jinyan Zhao, Jian Zhuang, Tianlong Zhao, Zhaoxi Li, Chenxi Zheng, Xinhao Sun, Kun Zheng, Zhe Wang, Matthew Xinhu Ren, Gang Niu, Nan Zhang, Tomoaki Karaki, Zhishui Jiang, Li Wen
Summary: Acoustic tweezers are a non-contact manipulation technique for microparticles that have gained attention in the field of biomedical engineering. This study prepared acoustic tweezers using lead-free piezoelectric ceramics and achieved high piezoelectric performance. The results demonstrate the potential of these acoustic tweezers for the trapping and manipulation of microparticles.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
J. Suchanicz, K. Kluczewska-Chmielarz, D. Sitko, G. Jaglo
Summary: Lead-free Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT) ceramics were prepared via a conventional oxide-mixed sintering route, and their electrical transport properties were investigated. The mechanism of depolarization and electrical conductivity phenomena for the investigated samples were found to be typical, with conduction mechanisms involving the hopping of charge carriers at low temperatures, small polarons at intermediate temperatures, and oxygen vacancies at high temperatures.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED CERAMICS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Nishchay Saurabh, Raj Kiran, Satyanarayan Patel
Summary: Solar radiation and wind provide temperature fluctuations for heating and cooling. The best material for energy harvesting is found to be 0.005La-Na0.5Ba0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3-0.002Ta. Voltage and power output can be improved by adjusting operating frequency, load capacitance, and resistance. A nonlinear electrical circuit based on P-SSHI and H-SSHI is used to enhance power, with H-SSHI preferred due to its self-triggering process and low energy losses. This work demonstrates the potential of lead-free pyroelectric materials for solar energy harvesting with circuit losses analyzed.
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE-ADVANCED MATERIALS AND DEVICES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yuvasree Purusothaman, Haoyang Leng, Aman Nanda, Ilan Levine, Shashank Priya
Summary: A lead-free piezoelectric ceramic based on (K,Na)NbO3 is textured using NaNbO3 seeds in the (001) direction, resulting in improved electromechanical coefficients at room temperature. The textured composition with 5 wt % NN template exhibits enhanced electromechanical coefficients and is used to fabricate a flexible piezoelectric energy harvester. The textured energy harvester outperforms the random ceramic-based harvester due to its higher figure-of-merit value.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Zhonghua Dai, Shengbin Wang, Yong Liu, Fanbo Zhang, Weiguo Liu, Xin Zhao, Xiangdong Ding, Minxia Fang, Xiaobing Ren
Summary: In this study, by introducing SrSc0.5Nb0.5O3 into (Bi0.5Na0.5Ti0.95Al0.025Nb0.025O3) [(1-x)BNTA-xSSN], a high recoverable energy storage density (W-rec) of about 2.7 J/cm(3) and energy storage efficiency (eta) of approximately 76% at 210 kV/cm were achieved at x=0.1; furthermore, eta was further improved to 85% at x=0.2. The modified .9BNTA-.1SSN showed excellent stability (thermal and frequency stability) at 150 kV/cm, surpassing other lead-free ceramics. The enhanced energy storage performance is attributed to increased relaxation degree and the formation of ferroelectric nanodomains, while the improved E-b is due to increased electrical resistivity and decreased grain size.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fan Yang, Dongliang Shi, Long-Yin Lo, Qian Mao, Jiaming Zhang, Kwok-Ho Lam
Summary: With the rise of human-robot collaboration and artificial intelligence in Industry 5.0, ultrasonic non-destructive testing (NDT) technology is being increasingly used for quality inspections. This paper presents a systematic comparison of different time-of-flight (ToF) algorithms and introduces an auto-diagnosis method based on the Defect Peaks Tracking Model (DPTM) for ultrasonic echo signal processing. The proposed DPTM, using Hilbert transform and wavelet denoising, can locate defects with sizes of 2-10 mm. The real-time auto-diagnosis feature of DPTM has the potential to be integrated with AI, such as machine learning and deep learning, for more intelligent industrial health inspection approaches.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Danyang Ren, Yonggang Yin, Chiye Li, Ruimin Chen, Junhui Shi
Summary: Ultrasonic transducers have been widely used in ultrasonic and photoacoustic imaging systems, converting acoustic and electrical signals. Effort has been made to transform rigid transducers to become flexible and wearable, enabling self-alignment to complex surfaces and high quality detection performance. The review summarizes recent advances in flexible transducers, including material optimization, designs, and practical applications, and discusses potential challenges and future directions.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Liqiang He, Yang Yang, Chang Liu, Yuanchao Ji, Xiaojie Lou, Lixue Zhang, Xiaobing Ren
Summary: To achieve efficient and high-density energy storage in electrostatic capacitors, dielectric materials need to exhibit good performance over a wide temperature range. In this study, a crossover composition between antiferroelectric and relaxor antiferroelectric states is found to enable a high polarization change and low hysteresis. This leads to the development of lead-free Ag1-3xLaxNb0.9Ta0.1O3 (x=0.03) ceramics that demonstrate a large recoverable energy storage density (Wrec -8.6 J/cm3) with high efficiency (eta -85%) under 460 kV/cm. The x=0.03 ceramics also show excellent energy storage properties (Wrec > 6.8 J/cm3 with ultrahigh eta -90%) in the temperature range of 20-120 degrees C, thanks to the coexistence of micro- and nano-antiferroelectric domains.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiaoqin Ke, Dong Wang, Sen Yang, Xiaobing Ren, Yunzhi Wang
Summary: We report that the single domain generated from the vortex in ferroelectric nanodots will transform back to the vortex structure after removal of the external electric field, providing a large recoverable electrostrain. This recoverable electrostrain maintains a large value and a wide temperature range. The good recoverability is mainly attributed to the dipole-dipole interaction energy and the elastic interaction energy in the system. This work may contribute to the development of miniaturized actuators in MEMS or NEMS.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Minxia Fang, Yuanchao Ji, Yan Ni, Wenjia Wang, Hengmin Zhang, Xifei Wang, Andong Xiao, Tianyu Ma, Sen Yang, Xiaobing Ren
Summary: In this letter, researchers report a surprising low-temperature toughening phenomenon in a La-doped CaTiO3 perovskite ceramic. The fracture toughness of the ceramic increases by 2.5 times when cooling from above room temperature down to cryogenic temperature, due to the emergence of nanosized orthorhombic ferroelastic domains from the existing tetragonal ferroelastic matrix. This finding may lead to the design of tough ceramics with a wide temperature range and provide insights into reentrant transitions in other ferroic systems.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dong-Liang Shi, Kwok-Ho Lam
Summary: The doping effect of the composite Cu2Sn0.7Co0.3S3-xCuCl (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) on the band structure and thermoelectric performance was studied. It was found that CuCl could compensate for Cu loss, enhance phonon scattering, and minimize the adverse effect on the power factor. The ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.38 W m(-1) K-1 was achieved for the nominal composition of CSCS-0.3CuCl at 700 K, and a peak zT of 0.56 was realized at 700 K when x = 0.3, almost doubling the performance of pristine samples.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Riqiang Lin, Jiaming Zhang, Wen Gao, Xiatian Wang, Shengmiao Lv, Kwok-Ho Lam, Xiaojing Gong
Summary: Photoacoustic technology is a promising tool for biomedical research, but the design of existing photoacoustic probes has resulted in bulky probes. This work presents the development of a miniature photoacoustic probe with a small outer diameter of 4 mm, made possible by using a combination of transparent piezoelectric material and a gradient-index lens as a backing layer.
Article
Electrochemistry
Xingyu Zhang, Luqi Wang, Tianye Zheng, Kwok-ho Lam
Summary: The fast capacity degradation of silicon-based anodes significantly limits the application in lithium-ion battery industries. This study introduces NiO into Si-CuO composites, which leads to less volume change during cycles and improved cycle stability. Si-87.5(CuO)(3.4)(NiO)(9.1) exhibits the highest 100-cycle capacity retention of approximately 86.9% at 0.2 C with an average coulombic efficiency of approximately 99.4%. Furthermore, the thermal stability investigation suggests that coating a carbon layer at 600 degrees Celsius enhances the electrochemical performance.
BATTERIES & SUPERCAPS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yingxia Dong, Xiaoqiu Yue, Juan Gong, Yongbo Gao, Qiaoji Zheng, Kwok Ho Lam, Dunmin Lin
Summary: In this study, an ingenious strategy is developed to prepare M doped Ni2P/Co2P (M = Cu, Zn, Mo) bimetallic phosphide electrode materials with heterostructure. The hollow nanocube morphology and heterogeneous structures of Mo-doped Ni2P/Co2P contribute to the availability of electrochemical active sites and modulation of electronic structure, resulting in improved reaction kinetics, specific capacitance, and cycling performance. This study provides a meaningful reference for the construction of high-performance metal phosphides with unique morphology and massive phase boundaries.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaoqin Zhang, Ji Chen, Heng Cao, Xiaomin Huang, Yu Liu, Yuxiang Chen, Yu Huo, Dunmin Lin, Qiaoji Zheng, Kwok-ho Lam
Summary: By introducing an effective and non-toxic cationic electrolyte additive Rb2SO4, the issues of dendrite growth and severe side reactions during plating/stripping on the zinc anode of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) can be effectively addressed. The large cation Rb+ of Rb2SO4 preferentially adsorbs on the surface of zinc metal, leading to a strong shielding effect that enables the lateral deposition of Zn2+ ions and isolates water from the zinc metal, thus inhibiting side reactions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuxiang Chen, Qingping Li, Peng Wang, Xiangyue Liao, Ji Chen, Xiaoqin Zhang, Qiaoji Zheng, Dunmin Lin, Kwok-ho Lam
Summary: This study proposes the partial substitution of Mn3+ for V3+ in Na3V2(PO4)(3) to activate the V4+/V5+ redox couple and enhance the energy density of the cathodes. With the introduction of Mn3+, the electronic conductivity is significantly improved and the reversible reactions involving four stable oxidation states are successfully achieved. The cathode with x = 0.5 exhibits a high reversible discharge capacity of 170.9 mAh g(-1) and an ultrahigh energy density of 577 Wh kg(-1). This work deepens the understanding of reversible three-electron reactions in NASICON-structured polyanionic phosphates and provides a feasible strategy for developing high-energy-density cathodes for sodium-ion batteries.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Guo-Cui Bao, Dong-Liang Shi, Jia-Ming Zhang, Fan Yang, Guang Yang, Kun Li, Bi-Jun Fang, Kwok-Ho Lam
Summary: The fabrication method significantly enhances the performance of lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate-based ceramics compared to the conventional one-step approach. The ceramics exhibit excellent piezoelectric and dielectric properties, with a high piezoelectric coefficient d(33) of 1103 pC/N and relative dielectric permittivity epsilon(33)/epsilon(0) of 9154 for w = 0.5.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Peng Wang, Yuxiang Chen, Xiangyue Liao, Qiaoji Zheng, Ruyi Zhao, Kwok-Ho Lam, Dunmin Lin
Summary: In this work, dual-carbon-confined VSe-Fe3Se4-xSx/FeSe2-xSx nanohybrids with abundant Se vacancies were constructed to improve the electrochemical properties of iron selenides. The introduction of S into the material induced Se vacancies and regulated the electron density, synergistically improving conductivity and reducing the diffusion barrier. The electrode exhibited excellent specific capacity and reversible capacity, highlighting the potential of this synergetic strategy for developing high-performance anodes for SIBs.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Ruofan Wang, Jing Zhu, Yuqian Meng, Xuanhao Wang, Ruimin Chen, Kaiyue Wang, Chiye Li, Junhui Shi
Summary: This study proposes an adaptive machine learning method to predict and complement photoacoustic sensor channel data, improving image reconstruction in PACT imaging. The method achieved superior performance in simulation, phantom experiments, and in vivo experiments.
COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE
(2023)
