• Arjun A.M., Ajay Sampath, Sandhya Thiyagarajan, and Arvind V, "A Novel Approach to Recycle Energy Using Piezoelectric Crystals," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 488-492, 2011.

• McGahey, Christopher S. Harnessing Nature’s Timekeeper: A History of the Piezoelectric Quartz Crystal Technological Community (1880-1959). Tech. N.p.: Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.

• Zhu, Xinhua. Piezoelectric Ceramic Materials : Processing, Properties, Characterization, And Applications. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 22 May 2013.

Our objective was to find a renewable energy source that was inexpensive, easy to make, readily available, and could

be used in a variety of applications.

During our three-week program, we grew a variety of crystals that generated voltage from the piezoelectric materials. Focusing on Rochelle salt crystals, we were able to obtain a peak voltage of 2.5 volts; however we observed that the ceramic disks produced more voltage when comparing other piezoelectric materials.

Despite our success of generating voltage and producing sound applications, we were unable to extract a usable power source. There were many reasons for the lack of current such as insufficient wires and weaker crystals. Further testing should include:• Different recipes for stronger crystals• Experimenting with a variety of batteries, wires, and data

systems

In conclusion, it is important for scientists to continue to search for new, creative ways to generate simple, inexpensive, green energy. There are a variety of applications that can include Rochelle salt crystals in order to harness energy doing everyday tasks to power everyday needs such as:• Reducing “wasted energy” by applying crystals to the

Hoover Dam and wind turbines• Placing crystals into plows and carts for use in third world

countries

Development and Applications of Piezoelectric Crystals

Methodology

We would like to thank our faculty advisors, Mr. Fred Buls and Ms. Susannah Lomant; our 2013 Summer Bridge Coordinators, Dr. Pamela Leggett-Robinson, Ms. Naranja Davis, and Ms. Margaret Major; and the Clarkston campus science department.

Results & Conclusion

 

Crystal Growth:1. Sodium carbonate (Soda Ash) and potassium

bitartrate (Cream of Tartar) were dissolved in a solution of deionized water and cooled at room temperature to make Rochelle salt crystals.

2. Alum crystals, pure Rochelle salt crystals, and refrigerator-cooled Rochelle salt crystals were also grown.

Testing:3. The amount of force needed to produce a measurable

voltage from piezoelectric material was ascertained using force sensors and simple harmonic motion.

4. Optimization of the amount of voltage produced from Rochelle salt crystals and piezoelectric ceramic disks was attempted by placing the material in series and parallel systems.

Applications:5. Speakers, headphones, and microphones were

reproduced using Rochelle salt crystals and piezoelectric ceramic disks.

6. A sidewalk application used to generate clean energy was recreated using Rochelle salt crystals.

DEANNA ARRINGTON, BRUCE BATISTE, NOSEGBE DICKSON, OLUDOLAPO ONAFOWOKAN, CHERISH PRICKETTFACULTY ADVISORS: MR. FRED BULS AND MS. SUSANNAH LOMANT

We investigated several piezoelectric materials with the initial focus on sodium potassium tartrate, also known as Rochelle salt crystals. We produced Rochelle salt crystals and tested the crystals for piezoelectric properties. A variety of testing methods were explored in attempts to measure the voltage and current generated by the crystals. Although voltages as high as 5 volts were measured, we did not produce a measurable source of power.

Applications of piezoelectric crystals were discussed including energy harvesting and sensor technology. In our most successful applications Rochelle salt crystals were used to generate and receive sound while energy harvesting proved more difficult.

Piezoelectricity involves a material that produces an electrical current when a force is applied and produces a sound when a current is applied. This phenomenon was discovered by Jacques and Pierre Curie in 1880 after the pyroelectric effect, materials that create an electric charge due to temperature changes, was observed by earlier physicists.

From the Curies’ initial discovery of piezoelectric materials in 1880, it took about four decades before the first practical application of the piezoelectric material was made. In 1917, Paul Langevin, a French scientist, used quartz crystals to build a sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) system in a submarine to use in World War I. It was not until the 1960s before Japanese scientists utilized the piezoelectric effect for industrial sensing applications. Since then, these piezoelectric materials, specifically ceramic disks and quartz crystals, have show inherent reliability and have seen a constant growth in use of applications and economic value.

Applications of piezoelectric materials have now expanded into many fields since the discovery of the effect in 1880 and can be found in lighters, beepers, tennis rackets, medical devices, and weapons as well as in energy harvesting applications such as highways in Israel and nightclubs in London.

Abstract

Introduction

Objectives

Material Force Max/Peak Voltage

Rochelle Salt Crystal

2.920 N 2.540 V

Ceramic Disk 41.300 N 5.460 V

Quartz Crystal 16.300 N 0.295 V

Bone 48.100 N 0.537 V

References

Acknowledgements

Crystals, Testing, & Applications