Functional Ferroelectrics – Activities within the Multidisciplinary Studies on Ceramics Group (MSCG). Department of Multifunctional Materials at ICMM-CSIC (Spain)

Device Modelling based on Materials Characterization

A model of multifunctionality

Ferroelectrics are bi-stable materials with interesting properties (non-linear dielectric permittivity, pyroelectricity, piezoelectricity, etc.). For more information see here. Currently used in devices for information and communication technologies, transport and health, their potential for energy harvesting and storage or as fotovoltaics is nowadays under research.

Piezoelectric Ceramics

Polycrystalline ferroelectrics have wide applications as piezoelectric sensors and actuators (motors, ultrasonic generation for ecography, non-destructive testing (NDT), high power ultrasonic machining and many others). See "Materials" journal Special Issue in 2021.

Environmental respect

During the last two decades a great number of countries in all continents have legislated to replace commercial ceramics based on the xPbTiO₃-(1-x)PbZrO₃ solid solution, known as PZT, with Lead-Free materials. See our review: "Towards Lead-Free Piezoceramics: Facing a Synthesis Challenge".

Advanced structural characterization

There is a trend on development of synchrotron environments for the study of a new generation of field-driven device. See our work: "Ferroelectrics under the synchrotron light: A review".

Device Modelling based on Materials Characterization

The measurement of complex impedance at the, electrically excited, mechanical resonances of lossy ferro-piezoelectric ceramics is used for their full matrix characterization. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used as a reliability criteria of this. See our work on determination of Piezo-Dielectric and Elastic matrices of material coefficients, including all losses, for 3D-modelling in commercial PIC700 eco-piezoceramic.

Welcome to our activities

Our objective is the development of new, knowledge-based materials for applications in energy harvesting and storage, industry, transport, medicine and information, among many other technologies, and, specifically, in transducers, sensors and actuators using poled polycrystalline ferroelectrics, the so called piezoelectric ceramics. Equally important, the research is aimed at the improvement of existing fundamental knowledge on the preparation processes and the structure, properties and mechanisms present in these materials. Given their direct impact on applications, the transfer of this knowledge to industry is contemplated as a general objective. Learn about our activities before March 2016 here. Our recent past interest and focuss in the future is to produce Lead-Free ferroelectrics of industrial interest by Green Chemistry and to extend the Advanced Techniques for their study and Performance Optimization. From May 2024 this are actions within the ICMM Group on Multidisciplinary Studies on Ceramics. The near future activities within this Group will be towards the development of sustainable materials for biomedical applications (biocide capability, tissue regeneration, biosensors, medical devices, etc) and other sustainable applications requiring mechanically robust ceramics. News on our activities can be found at the MSCG web page

The new Special Issue on "Piezoelectrics and Ferroelectrics for End Users" of Materials MDPI journal is now open for submissions

After the succeed of the Special Issue in Materials MDPI "Piezoelectric Ceramics: From Fundamentals to Applications"(ISSN 1996-1944) with 10 published manuscripts and a Review, a new Special Issue: "Piezoelectrics and Ferroelectrics for End Users" is now on-line. The ferro-piezoelectric ceramics are a good example of multifunctionality. Emerging applications in energy (energy storage, piezoelectric harvesting, photovoltaic, thermoelectricity...) have increasing interest nowadays. The demand of lead-free piezo-ferroelectrics must be accompanied by the development of green methods of processing. The mechanical properties of ferro-piezoelectric ceramics are difficult to control, and this opens a challenging field of activities. Manuscripts on a wide range of topics in this area are welcomed for submission.

The Virtual Special Issue on "PIEZO2017"

"PIEZO2017" took place in Cercedilla (Madrid, Spain) 19-22 February, 2017. This event was organised by CSIC and UPM together with PI. A Winter School on Advanced Characterization of Piezoceramics took place in parallel. See here the abstracts book

PIEZO2023 and Associated Winter Shool were held in Glasgow in conjunction with Ferroelectric UK 2023

The University of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy, virtually hosted "PIEZO2021: Piezoelectrics for End Users XI" due to COVID19 Pandemia. Over 90 persons from 30 organizations and 15 countries contributed. The meeting continued the well established tradition of bringing together academia and industry within the field for discussion and networking. PIEZO2023, the last edition of this series took place presentially in Glasgow, and was a joint event with the well know Ferroelectric UK 2023 conference, last November 5 – 8, 2023 (November 5 was also held the traditional School linked to PIEZO conferences). The Programmes of these events are still avaliable on-line ....

2024 Visiting Professor stay at University of Sassari (Italy)

5 July, 2024 20 August, 2024

Lorena Pardo has enjoyed a new stay under the Visiting Professor Programme at the “Dipartimento di Scienze chimiche, fisiche, matematiche e naturali” of the University of Sassari (UNISS, Italy). Two previous stays took place in 2019 and 2023. See below the group photo of the INMATE2LAB Research Group during the…

A new edition of the Spanish “Reunión Nacional de Electrocerámica”, EC16, took place in Jaca, Huesca (Spain) from 28 to 30 June, 2023

27 July, 2023 27 July, 2023

Chaired by Alodia Orera and organized by the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Zaragoza) and the “Cerámicas para Energía y Electrónica (CEE)” Section of the Spanish Society of Ceramics and Glass (SECV), EC16 took place in Jaca from 28 to 30 June,…

Already on-line a new Special Issue of the journal Materials: “Piezoelectrics and Ferroelectrics for End Users”

26 April, 2023 26 April, 2023

A new Special Issue of the journal Materials MDPI:“Piezoelectrics and Ferroelectrics for End Users” is already on-line. Guest Editors: Prof. Lorena Pardo, Prof. Sandy Cochran, Prof. Sebastiano Garroni and Dr. Laura Stoica. Research articles and reviews are wellcomed. The topics are: – piezoelectrics, pyroelectrics, ferroelectrics, relaxors, tuneable materials – ceramics, single…

Prof. Miguel Angel Alario Franco´s anniversary Special Issue of Journal of Solid State Chemistry

26 September, 2022 19 July, 2023

“Synthesis, Structure and Microstructure of novel Non-molecular Materials”, Special Issue of the Journal of Solid State Chemistry is dedicated to Prof. Miguel Ángel Alario-Franco on the occasion of his 80th Birthday. This is edited by Elizabeth Castillo-Martínez, David Ávila-Brande, Jesús Prado-Gonjal and Elena M. Mesa-Bribián. Professor Alario-Franco was a pioneer…

Our manuscript in the Highlights of the journal Materials MDPI

19 August, 2021 11 May, 2023

Our manuscript “Determination of the PIC700 Ceramic’s Complex Piezo-Dielectric and Elastic Matrices from Manageable Aspect Ratio Resonators” is in the Highlights of the Main page of the journal Materials MDPI. This work was selected for special promotion and was also announced at the twitter account of the journal. Piezoceramics are…

The XV edition of the Spanish National Meeting on Electroceramics, Electrocerámica15, took place in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) from 07-09 July 2021

26 July, 2021 22 November, 2021

The “XV Reunión Nacional de Electrocerámica” took place this year at Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Vasque country. It was organized by the CIC energiGUNE, from 7 to 9 de July, 2021. The “Cerámica para la Electrónica y la Energía” Section of The Spanish Society of Ceramic and Glass (SECV) was co-organizer.…

Early Stage Researchers awarded at PIEZO2021

25 February, 2021 26 February, 2021

The COVID19 Pandemia has strongly affected the students involved in experimental studies that had to carry on their work in laboratorios with high restrictions of time and resources or, even more, to stay away during months from the labs. It has also put lots of restrictions in travelling and, consequently,…

Special Issue on the Contributions of Women in Ferroelectrics Research and Development

27 January, 2021 27 January, 2021

The Special Issue of the journal IEEE Trans. on Ultrasonic, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control on the Contributions of Women in Ferroelectrics Research and Development has been launched. It is co-edited by Profs. Michelle Dolgos, Jacob L. Jones, Barbara Malic, Brady Gibbons and Kazumi Kato. The editorial provides a special mention…

14 December 2020: abstract submission deadline extended for virtual PIEZO2021 Conference

23 November, 2020 25 November, 2020

You are still on time to participate in the fully virtual “PIEZO2021: Piezoelectrics for end Users XI” Conference and Winter School. The abstract submission deadline was extended until 14 December, 2020. Find the abstract template here. Fees have been reduced for the virtual conference. Convenient student fees were stablished (80€)…

Virtual PIEZO2021 Abstract submission deadline arrives : 20 November, 2020

4 November, 2020 5 November, 2020

Plan your attendance and send your abstract now ! Due the the health conditions related to the Corona virus and to guarantee the safety and well-being of all conference attendees, the organizing committee is moving PIEZO2021 conference to a fully virtual conference. The dates of the conference remain unchanged and…