• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.563-581
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• 2024

Piezoelectricity refers to the phenomenon where mechanical stress is converted into electrical signals or, conversely, electrical signals are converted into mechanical stress. Ferroelectric materials, characterized by high dielectric permittivity and spontaneous polarization, retain their polarization even after the removal of an electric field. In such materials, poling plays a crucial role in enhancing the piezoelectric effect, with the process of aligning dipoles being known as poling. This review focuses on studies that have compared and analyzed the enhancement of piezoelectric properties in ceramics and polymers through two representative poling methods: AC poling (ACP) and DC poling (DCP). Even within the same category of ceramics or polymers, variations in piezoelectric properties are observed based on the material type, poling method, and poling conditions. Under certain conditions, ACP has been shown to provide superior poling effects compared to DCP. Through this review, we propose that ACP has the potential not only to replace the traditionally used DCP in the poling of piezoelectric materials but also to serve as a more effective method. This could spark increased interest in the study of poling methods for piezoelectric polymers, a field that has received relatively less attention.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.59-62
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• 2020

Currently, increasing attention is being paid to relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals in photoacoustic images, especially for high-end applications. Among the crystals are (1-x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbTiO₃ (PMN-100xPT) single crystals located near their morphotropic phase boundary (x = 0.30-0.35) because of their ultrahigh piezoelectric and electromechanical coupling properties. The alternating current poling (ACP) treatment, rather than the conventional direct current poling treatment, has recently been spotlighted due to its effectiveness in enhancing the piezoelectric properties. So far, it has been suggested that the enhanced piezoelectricity originates from either a domain miniaturization to nanodomains or from an electric-field-induced monoclinic symmetry. In this study, we demonstrate by thermally stimulated depolarization current measurements that the effect of ACP is too complex to be explained using a single mechanism and that the proposed electric-field-induced monoclinic symmetry is unlikely to exist.