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Piezoelectricity

There exist certain kinds of crystalline materials which develop a electric


voltage when subjected to applied mechanical stress or vibration or alternatively, a
physical stress in the presence of an external electric field. The electric charge that
accumulates is called piezoelectricity (Greek: piezein (), which means to
squeeze or press) and the phenomenon, the piezoelectric effect.
The piezoelectric effect was discovered in 1880 by the Jacques and Pierre Curie
brothers. They found out that when a mechanical stress was applied on crystals
such as tourmaline, topaz, quartz, Rochelle salt and cane sugar, electrical charges
appeared, and this voltage was proportional to the stress. The piezoelectric effect is
understood as the linear electromechanical interaction between the mechanical and
the electrical state in crystalline materials with no inversion symmetry. The
piezoelectric effect is a reversible process in that materials exhibiting the
piezoelectric effect also exhibit the reverse piezoelectric effect (the internal
generation of a mechanical strain resulting from an applied electrical field).
The piezoelectric effect occurs only in non conductive materials. Piezoelectric materials
can be divided in 2 main groups: crystals and cermaics. The most well-known
piezoelectric material is quartz (SiO2).

The piezoelectric effect is related to symmetry, i.e., the more asymmetrical, the
higher the potential. The stress can be either direct pressure or shear. A material
will respond with different potentials depending on its structure. Different
components of stress, different directions or strain, can produce different
components of potentials.

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