Gigantic piezoelectricity in a polycrystalline ceramic actively maintained at a quadruple point
Summary
Transformative technologies demand polycrystalline piezoelectric ceramics with piezoelectric coefficients (d33) exceeding 6000 picocoulomb per Newton (pC/N), but this goal has remained elusive because of the intrinsically weak nature of piezoelectricity and incomplete polarization alignment in polycrystals. We overcome this barrier by placing a polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic in a temperature and electric-field control module so that it operates at a quadruple phase p
Content
# Gigantic piezoelectricity in a polycrystalline ceramic actively maintained at a quadruple point
*Published: 2026 Feb 26*
Transformative technologies demand polycrystalline piezoelectric ceramics with
piezoelectric coefficients (d33) exceeding 6000 picocoulomb per Newton (pC/N),
but this goal has remained elusive because of the intrinsically weak nature of
piezoelectricity and incomplete polarization alignment in polycrystals. We
overcome this barrier by placing a polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT)
ceramic in a temperature and electric-field control module so that it operates
at a quadruple phase point (QP). This QP ceramic exhibited a d33 of ~6850 pC/N,
which surpasses that of commercial PZT ceramics by 10 to 30 times and commercial
lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate single crystals by ~4 times. This
exceptional property arises from the tricritical nature of the QP, a
thermodynamic singularity that produces an ultrasoft lattice and enables
complete polarization alignment in polycrystals. The module maintained this
performance for surrounding ambient temperature ranging from 25° to 350°C.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aec5660