Functional Ferroelectrics – Page 3 – 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 ....

Barcelona, 8-10 October 2018: V Congreso Hispano-Luso y LVI Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio

14 February, 2018 6 March, 2019

IMPORTANT !! Abstract Submissions Deadline: 15th June 2018. The “V Congreso Hispano-Luso” and “LVI Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio“, will take place this year in Barcelona (8-10 October, 2018). Site: Dpto. de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica Escuela de Ingeniería de Barcelona Este Universitat…

New Year 2018: New book on Magnetic-Ferroelectric-and-Multiferroic-Metal-Oxides

16 January, 2018 6 March, 2019

It was recently published the new book on: “Magnetic, Ferroelectric, and Multiferroic Metal Oxides” Ed. B.D.Stojanovic. Elsevier Books. Metal Oxides Series. ISBN: 9780128111802 Description Magnetic, Ferroelectric, and Multiferroic Metal Oxides covers the fundamental and theoretical aspects of ferroics and magnetoelectrics, their properties, and important technological applications, serving as the most comprehensive,…

The 18th International Conference on Internal Friction and Mechanical Spectroscopy (ICIFMS-18). September 12-15, 2017. Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil)

22 September, 2017 6 March, 2019

The 18th International Conference on Internal Friction and Mechanical Spectroscopy (ICIFMS-18) was hold on September 12-15, 2017, in Foz do Iguaçu (Iguazu Falls), Brazil, organized by Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) and Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). Our contribution: Plenary Talk: Lorena Pardo, “INTERNAL FRICTION CHARACTERIZATION IN LEAD-FREE FERROELECTRICS FOR ULTRASONIC…

XXVI International Materials Research Congress. 20-25 August, 2017. Cancún (México)

9 August, 2017 6 March, 2019

The Sociedad Mexicana de Materiales (SMM) and the Materials Research Society (MRS) organize IMRC2017, which holds the F.2 Symposia on Functional Materials Based on Perovskite-Type Oxides and Mixed Oxide-Anion Solids: Ferroics, Superconductors and Related Materials. Chairs: L. E. Fuentes-Cobas, K. Poeppelmeier, M.A. Alario and M.E. Villafuerte-Castrejón “For more than half a…

XIII Reunión Nacional de Electrocerámica. Cuenca, 21-23 June, 2017

27 June, 2017 6 March, 2019

The XIII edition of “Reunion Nacional de Electrocerámica”, was hold at the “Centro Docente y de Investigación de la Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo (UIMP)” in the city of Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) 21-23 June, 2017. It was organized by UIMP,”Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha” and “Sección de Cerámicas para la Energía…

Congratulations to Prof. M.E. Villafuerte-Castrejón!

26 June, 2017 13 May, 2019

¡Felicidades a la Prof. María Elena Villafuerte-Castrejón! Our collaborator, from the Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM), won the “Epsilon de Oro” prize to a professional life devoted to the study of Electroceramics and, in a great part, to ferro-piezoelectric ceramics. The prize was given at the XIII edition of…

Winter School on “Advanced Characterization of Piezoceramics”

21 November, 2016 6 March, 2019

Simultaneously to the Electroceramics for End-users IX, PIEZO2017, conference and open to its attendees, we are organizing a JECS Trust funded Winter School on “Advanced Characterization of Piezoceramics”. The proposed Winter School aims to discuss the role on piezoelectric ceramics processing and applications of the advanced characterization, microstructural, mechanical and…

Electroceramics XV, Limoges (France) from 27th to 29th, June 2016

22 June, 2016 6 March, 2019

Electroceramics XV takes place at the University of Limoges. Limoges (France) from 27th to 29th, June 2016. The city of Limoges has a long tradition in ceramics, which started in the 17th century with the manufactures of porcelain. However, Limoges is not limited to traditional ceramics but is an internationally recognized center in the…

Quies 2016 Torremolinos, Málaga (Spain) 19-22 June 2016

22 June, 2016 6 March, 2019

The Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry organized QUIES2016, the 17th Scientific Meeting on Inorganic Chemistry and 11th Meeting on Solid State Chemistry, at Torremolinos, Málaga, (Spain), from 19 to 22 June 2016. Prof. María Elena Villafuerte-Castrejón gave a talk on “Piezoceramic Materials without Pb: a Synthesis Challenge“. This work reviews…

PIEZO2017: Electroceramics for End-Users IX in Cercedilla, Madrid (Spain)

3 June, 2016 6 March, 2019

“PIEZO2017 Electroceramics for End-users IX” will take place in Cercedilla (Madrid, Spain) the next 19-22 February 2017 and will be organised by CSIC and UPM. The meeting will continue its well established tradition of presenting the latest research and developments on piezoelectric and multifunctional materials, technologies and devices and of bringing…