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Nature 432, 24-25 (4 November 2004) | doi:10.1038/nature03142; Published online 31 October 2004
Materials science: Lead-free at last
Eric Cross1
Abstract
The most successful piezoelectric ceramics are based on lead zirconate and lead titanate. Environmental concerns over their lead content could disappear with the advent of a new ceramic that is lead-free.
Piezoelectricity is a time-honoured study in crystal physics, initiated by the brothers Jacques and Pierre Curie1 in 1880. When a piezoelectric crystal is subjected to a suitably oriented elastic stress, the crystal polarizes electrically in proportion to the applied stress; conversely, when a suitably oriented electric field is applied, the crystal changes shape (strains) in proportion to the field level.
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