A Single-Layer Piezoelectric Composite Separator for Durable Operation of Li Metal Anode at High Rates

Piezoelectric ceramic and polymeric separators have been proposed to effectively regulate Li deposition and suppress dendrite growth,but such separators still fail to satisfactorily support durable operation of lithium metal batteries owing to the fragile ceramic layer or low-piezoelectricity polymer as employed.Herein,by combining PVDF-HFP and ferroelectric BaTiO_(3),we develop a homogeneous,single-layer composite separator with strong piezoelectric effects to inhibit dendrite growth while maintaining high mechanical strength.As squeezed by local protrusion,the polarized PVDF-HFP/BaTiO_(3)composite separator generates a local voltage to suppress the local-intensified electric field and further deconcentrate regional lithium-ion flux to retard lithium deposition on the protrusion,hence enabling a smoother and more compact lithium deposition morphology than the unpoled composite separator and the pure PVDF-HFP separator,especially at high rates.Remarkably,the homogeneous incorporation of BaTiO_(3)highly improves the piezoelectric performances of the separator with residual polarization of 0.086 pC cm^(-2)after polarization treatment,four times that of the pure PVDF-HFP separator,and simultaneously increases the transference number of lithium-ion from 0.45 to 0.57.Beneficial from the prominent piezoelectric mechanism,the polarized PVDF-HFP/BaTiO_(3)composite separator enables stable cyclic performances of Li||LiFePO_(4)cells for 400 cycles at 2 C(1 C=170 mA g^(-1))with a capacity retention above 99%,and for 600 cycles at 5 C with a capacity retention over 85%.

Theoretical study on dynamic effective electroelastic properties of random piezoelectric composites with aligned inhomogeneities

The closed-form solutions of the dynamic problem of heterogeneous piezoelectric materials are formulated by introducing polarizations into a reference medium and using the generalized reciprocity theorem.These solutions can be reduced to the ones of an elastodynamic problem.Based on the effective medium method,these closedform solutions can be used to establish the self-consistent equations about the frequencydependent effective parameters,which can be numerically solved by iteration.Theoretical predictions are compared with the experimental results,and good agreement can be found.Furthermore,the analyses on the effects of microstructure and wavelength on the effective properties,resonance frequencies,and attenuation are also presented,which may provide some guidance for the microstructure design and analysis of piezoelectric composites.

Effects of Strain Rate and Fiber Content on the Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Sisal Fiber Cement-Based Composites

In this paper,a split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)was used to investigate the dynamic impact mechanical behavior of sisal fiber-reinforced cement-based composites(SFRCCs),and the microscopic damage evolution of the composites was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrome-try(EDS).The results show that the addition of sisal fibers improves the impact resistance of cement-based composite materials.Compared with ordinary cement-based composites(OCCs),the SFRCCs demonstrate higher post-peak strength,ductility,and energy absorption capacity with higher fiber content.Moreover,the SFRCCs are strain rate sensitive materials,and their peak stress,ultimate strain,and energy integrals all increase with increasing strain rate.From the perspective of fracture failure characteristics,the failure of OCCs is dominated by the brittle failure of crystal cleavage.In contrast,the failure mode of the SFRCCs changes to microscale matrix cracks,multi-scale pull-out interface debonding of fibers(fine filaments and bundles),and mechanical interlock.This research provides an experimental basis for the engineering application of high-performance and green cement-based composites.

Development,modeling and application of piezoelectric fiber composites

Piezoelectric materials are capable of actuation and sensing and have been used in a wide variety of smart devices and structures.Active fiber composite and macro fiber composite are newly developed types of piezoelectric composites,and show superior properties to monolithic piezoelectric wafer due to their distinctive structures.Numerous work has focused on the performance prediction of the composites by evaluation of structural parameters and properties of the constituent materials with analytical and numerical methods.Various applications have been explored for the piezoelectric fiber composites,including vibration and noise control,health monitoring,morphing of structures and energy harvesting,in which the composites play key role and demonstrate the necessity for further development.

The Influence of Carbon Nanotubes and Nano-Silica Fume on Enhancing the Damping and Mechanical Properties of Cement-Based Materials

This paper conducted experimental studies on the damping and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube-nanosilica-cement composite materials with different carbon nanotube contents. The damping and mechanical properties enhancement mechanisms were analyzed and compared through the porosity structure test, XRD analysis, and scanning electron microscope observation. The results show that the introduction of nanosilica significantly improves the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the cement matrix. At the same time, the addition of nanosilica not only effectively reduces the critical pore size and average pore size of the cement composite material, but also exhibits good synergistic effects with carbon nanotubes, which can significantly optimize the pore structure. Finally, a rationalization suggestion for the co-doping of nanosilica and carbon nanotubes was given to achieve a significant increase in the flexural strength, compressive strength and loss factor of cement-based materials.

Nonlinear analysis on electrical properties in a bended composite piezoelectric semiconductor beam

In this paper,the interactions between the transverse loads and the electrical field quantities are investigated based on the nonlinear constitutive relation.By considering a composite beam consisting of a piezoelectric semiconductor and elastic layers,the nonlinear model is established based on the phenomenological theory and Euler’s beam theory.Furthermore,an iteration procedure based on the differential quadrature method(DQM)is developed to solve the nonlinear governing equations.Before analysis,the convergence and correctness are surveyed.It is found that the convergence of the proposed iteration is fast.Then,the transverse pressure induced electrical field quantities are investigated in detail.From the calculated results,it can be found that the consideration of nonlinear constitutive relation is necessary for a beam undergoing a large load.Compared with the linear results,the consideration of the nonlinear constitutive relation breaks the symmetry for the electric potential,the electric field,and the perturbation carrier density,and has little influence on the electric displacement.Furthermore,the non-uniform pressures are considered.The results show that the distributions of the electric field quantities are sensitively altered.It indicates that the electrical properties can be manipulated with the design of different transverse loads.The conclusions in this paper could be the guidance on designing and manufacturing electronic devices accurately.

WAVE PROPAGATION IN PIEZOELECTRIC/PIEZOMAGNETIC LAYERED PERIODIC COMPOSITES

This paper is concerned with the dynamic behaviors of wave propagation in layered periodic composites consisting of piezoelectric and piezomagnetic phases. The dispersion relations of Lamb waves axe derived. Dispersion curves and displacement fields are calculated with different piezoelectric volume fractions. Numerical results for BaTiO3/CoFe2O4 composites show that the dispersion curves resemble the symmetric Lamb waves in a plate. Exchange between the longitudinal （i.e. thickness） mode and coupled mode takes place at the crossover point between dispersion curves of the first two branches. With the increase of BaTiO3 volume fraction, the crossover point appears at a lower wave number and wave velocity is higher. These findings are useful for magnetoelectric transducer applications.

Piezoresistive Response Extraction for Smart Cement-based Composites/Sensors

A kind of piezoresistive response extraction method for smart cement-based composites/sensors was proposed.Two kinds of typical piezoresistive cement-based composites/sensors were fabricated by respectively adding carbon nanotubes and nickel powders as conductive fillers into cement paste or cement mortar.The variation in measured electrical resistance of such cement-based composites/sensors was explored without loading and under repeated compressive loading and impulsive loading.The experimental results indicate that the measured electrical resistance of piezoresistive cement-based composites/sensors exhibits a two-stage variation trend of fast increase and steady increase with measurement time without loading,and an irreversible increase after loading.This results from polarization caused by ionic conduction in these composites/sensors.After reaching a plateau,the measured electrical resistance can be divided into an electrical resistance part and an electrical capacity part.The piezoresistive responses of electrical resistance part in measured electrical resistance to loading can be extracted by eliminating the linear electrical capacity part in measured electrical resistance.

Enhanced mechanical behaviour of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric composites incorporating zinc oxide nanowhiskers

This paper reports that the lead zirconate titanate （PZT） piezoelectric composites incorporating zinc oxide nanowhiskers （ZnOw） were prepared by the conventional solid state processing. The whisker-dispersed PZT composites （PZT/ZnOw） presented a significant enhancement in the mechanical properties such as Young＇s modulus, tensile strength and compressive strength. Especially, the compressive strength increased from 153 MPa for the PZT to 228 MPa for the PZT/ZnOw composites. The reinforcement mechanism in strength of the composites was discussed. The me- chanical quality factors of the PZT/ZnOw composites increased considerably, while the piezoelectric constants and electromechanical coupling coefficient decreased slightly. The composites with good electrical and excellent mechanical properties are promising for further applications.

Piezoresistivity of Carbon Fiber Graphite Cement-based Composites with CCCW

The electrical conductivity and piezoresistivity of carbon fiber graphite cement-matrix composites（CFGCC） with carbon fiber content（1% by the weight of cement）,graphite powder contents （0%-50% by the weight of cement） and CCCW（cementitious capillary crystalline waterproofing materials,4% by the weight of cement） were studied.The experimental results showed that the relationship between the resistivity of CFGCC and the concentration of graphite powders had typical features of percolation phenomena.The percolation threshold was about 20%.A clear piezoresistive effect was observed in CFGCC with 1wt% of carbon fibers,20wt% or 30wt% of graphite powders under uniaxial compressive tests,indicating that this type of smart composites was a promising candidate for strain sensing.The measured gage factor （defined as the fractional change in resistance per unit strain） of CFGCC with graphite content of 20wt% and 30wt% were 37 and 22,respectively.With the addition of CCCW,the mechanical properties of CFGCC were improved,which benefited CFGCC piezoresistivity of stability.

Modeling and Software Development of the Interfacial Transition Zone of Ellipsoidal Aggregate in Cement-Based Composites

The interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the aggregates and the bulk paste is the weakest zone of ordinary concrete, which largely determines its mechanical and transporting properties. However, a complete understanding and a quantitative modeling of ITZ are still lacking. Consequently, an integrated modeling and experimental study were conducted. First, the theoretical calculation model of the ITZ volume fraction about the rotary ellipsoidal aggregate particles was established based on the nearest surface function formula. Its calculation programs were written based on Visual Basic 6.0 language and achieved visualization and functionalization. Then, the influencing factors of ITZ volume fraction of the ellipsoidal aggregate particles and the overlapping degree between the ITZ were systematically analyzed. Finally, the calculation models of ITZ volume fraction on actual ellipsoidal aggregate were given, based on cobblestones or pebbles particles with naturally ellipsoidal shape. The results indicate that the calculation model proposed is highly reliable.

Electrical and Piezoresistive Properties of Steel Fiber Cement-based Composites Aligned by a Magnetic Field

Directionally distributed steel fiber cement-based composites(SFCCs)were prepared by magnetic field(MF)induction technology.The orientation factor of steel fibers in the as-obtained SFCCs was determined.Besides,the electrical resistivity and piezoresistive responses in two directions of aligned steel fiber cement-based composites,i e,parallel and perpendicular to MF,were measured.The effects of several variables,eg,steel fiber content,curing age,humidity,and temperature,on anisotropic electrical property were studied.The cyclic and failure piezoresistive responses in different directions were tested.It is found that the aligned steel fibers in the as-obtained SFCCs have a high orientation factor more than 0.88.Besides,SFCCs with aligned steel fibers exhibit an obvious anisotropic conductivity and piezoelectric sensitivity.The electrical conductivity of SFCCs with aligned steel fibers is less affected by temperature and humidity.At the steel fiber content of 2.5wt%,the piezoelectric sensitivity coefficient of SFCCs in the direction parallel to MF has the highest value of 324.14.In addition,the piezoresistive properties of SFCCs with aligned steel fibers in the direction parallel to MF indicate excellent sensitivity and stability under cyclic loading and monotonic loading.

Preparation and Electromechanical Properties of PVDF Matrix Piezoelectric Composites Containing Highly Oriented BaTiO_3 Whiskers

The piezoelectric composites containing highly oriented BaTiO3 whiskers as active phase and PVDF as matrix have been prepared by micro-hole extrusion and orientation in carried fibers. The morphology of oriented BaTiO3 whiskers and microstructure of the composites were observed by SEM. As for its electromechanical properties, it is found that the dielectric constant, piezoelectric constant and remnant of polarization in the BaTiO3 whisker-PVDF composite are considerably higher than that in the BaTiO3 powders-PVDF composite, while the loss factors follow the opposite trend. For the BaTiO3 whisker-PVDF composite, the values of ε, d33 and Pr parallel to the whisker orientation (normal specimen) are much higher than that perpendicular to the whisker orientation (parallel specimen). The significant effects of the connective passages of active phase on electromechanical properties of the piezoelectric composites has also been investigated.

Influence of Particle Size on Piezoelectricity of Piezo-composites

Serial material model （Dilute model）and Limited Units （LU）method were employed to analyze the performance of binary piezo-composite system.The reckoned electric potential deployments illustrated difference while the particles were different.Their piezoelectricities were also calculated according to the model,and furthermore comparation suggested that small particles living in the tolerance improve the piezoelectricity of piezo-composite.Experiments coinciding with analyses were processed simultaneously. Ceramics were milled for different time in order to control the concentration of particle size.The results showed that the filled particles enhanced the piezoelectricity of binary piezo-composite system efficiently whereas too many chips deteriorated the performance of piezo-composites.

Elastic properties of spherically anisotropic piezoelectric composites

Effective elastic properties of spherically anisotropic piezoelectric composites, whose spherically anisotropic piezoelectric inclusions are embedded in an infinite non-piezoelectric matrix, are theoretically investigated. Analytical solu- tions for the elastic displacements and the electric potentials under a uniform external strain are derived exactly. Taking into account of the coupling effects of elasticity, permittivity and piezoelectricity, the formula is derived for estimating the effective elastic properties based on the average field theory in the dilute limit. An elastic response mechanism is revealed, in which the effective elastic properties increase as inclusion piezoelectric properties increase and inclusion dielectric properties decrease. Moreover, a piezoelectric response mechanism, of which the effective piezoelectric response vanishes due to the symmetry of spherically anisotropic composite, is also disclosed.

Theoretical analysis of the conversion from electrical into thermal energy in piezoelectric-conductive damping composites

Based on the principles of electrical conduction and transformation, a model was put forward for the electrical conversion of piezoelectric damping composites, and a related formula was derived. The results show that the best effect of conversion can be achieved by reducing the imaginary part of the impedance and matching the frequency. The optimal damping effect at a certain frequency requires resistance of conductive phase （R） satisfying the condition of R=I/（ωC）, but this condition may cause the damping effect at other frequencies to deviate away from the optimum condition. It is suggested that in order to make the damping effect more efficient and objective, frequency matching should be considered during the design of piezoelectric damping composites.

Improved Encapsulation Method of Sensing Element for Cement-Based Piezoelectric Sensor

An improved encapsulation method of a sensing element for a cement-based piezoelectric sensor used in civil engineering structure was developed and some tests were carried out for validating this method. The cement-based piezoelectric sensor of this kind is mainly used in concrete structure due to its compatibility with concrete, and the encapsulation method of its sensing element is important to the effectiveness and accuracy of the transfer of the stress from concrete to the sensing element. The sensor′s measurement error of the previous encapsulation method, which was induced by the area of the encapsulation material and the inherent difference of Young′s modulus between cement and encapsulation material, was analyzed theoretically using parallel model. In the improved method, the error is minimized by decreasing the area of the encapsulation material and changing the configuration of the cement and piezoelectric material in the sensor. Two sensors made by the previous and improved methods were embedded in two prisms respectively and the prisms were compressed on Material Test System. Through the comparison of the measurement errors of the two sensors, the improved method was evaluated. The test results show that the improved encapsulation method is effective and feasible.

Model of Coherent Interface Formation in Cement-Based Composites Containing Polyblend of Poly vinyl Alcohol and Methylcellulose

The texture of interfacial zone between cement paste and quartz in the cement-based composites containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), methylcellulose (MC) and their potyblend in an amount of 10 wt % with respect to cement, as well as the texture of dehydrated bodies of PVA, MC, and the potyblend solutions, were investigated with SEM. The network texture of the dehydrated polyblend is confirmed by comparing the texture of dehydrated bodies of PVA and MC. The network texture has restrained the movement of polyblend molecules in the cement mortar but is helpful to forming a coherent interface between cement paste and quartz. The key factor of forming the coherent interface is not the neutralization reaction between H + from hydrolysis of quarts: and OH- from hydration of cement, but the electrostatic attraction and the chemical reaction between polar groups on the polyblend molecule and cations and onions from hydrolysis of quartz and hydration of cement, respectively. The model of the coherent interface formation is that excessive [HSiO3]- and [SiO3]2- onions are bonded with the hydrated cations such as Ca2+ and Al3+ , which is confirmed by the gel containing Ca and Si on the quartz surface.

Effective property of piezoelectric composites containing coated nano-elliptical fibers with interfacial debonding

Based on both the spring layer interface model and the Gurtin-Murdoch surface/interface model,the anti-plane shear problem is studied for piezoelectric composites containing coated nano-elliptical fibers with imperfect interfaces.By using the complex function method and the technique of conformal mapping,the exact solutions of the electroelastic fields in fiber,coating,and matrix of piezoelectric nanocomposites are derived under far-field anti-plane mechanical and in-plane electrical loads.Furthermore,the generalized self-consistent method is used to accurately predict the effective electroelastic moduli of the piezoelectric nanocomposites containing coated nano-elliptical fibers with imperfect interfaces.Numerical examples are illustrated to show the effects of the material constants of the imperfect interface layers,the aspect ratio of the fiber section,and the fiber volume fraction on the effective electroelastic moduli of the piezoelectric nanocomposites.The results indicate that the effective electroelastic moduli of the piezoelectric nanocomposites can be significantly reduced by the interfacial debonding,but it can be improved by the surface/interface stresses at the small scale,which provides important theoretical reference for the design and optimization of piezoelectric nanodevices and nanostructures.

Preparation and Properties of Epoxy Piezoelectric Vibration Reduction Composites

The epoxy resin (E-51) was used as polymer matrix,conductive carbon black (CB) as conductive filler,and PZT was used to prepare a composite by curing.The effects of PZT and CB content on the properties of PZT/ CB/ EP piezoelectric composite were studied.When the PZT content reaches 40 wt%,the optimized vibration attenuation properties of PZT/CB/EP materials could be achieved with a loss factor of 0.9 from room temperature to 60 ℃.With the increase of PZT content,the bending strength of PZT/CB/EP piezoelectric composite vibration reduction material firstly increased from 45 MPa to 65 MPa and then decreased to 38 MPa.At room temperature,the dielectric constant increased from 7 to 50,and the dielectric loss increased from 0.1 to 0.5.