Fabrication and measurement of a flexoelectric micro-pyramid composite

Abstract

A fabrication method by combining precision mechanical dicing and wet etching was developed to prepare micro-pyramid structures based on (Ba0.67Sr0.33)TiO3 ceramics. The effective piezoelectric properties of flexoelectric pyramid structures in ten micrometers scale were investigated and measured through converse flexoelectric effect. The scaling effect of the flexoelectric response was demonstrated as the structure size shrinks down. The results do suggest the great potential of flexoelectric micro pyramids as an alternative to lead-free piezoelectric material.