Simulation and structural design of 2-2 PIMNT/epoxy piezoelectric composites

Piezoelectric materials are commonly used in transducers to convert electromechanical signals due to their energy conversion characteristics. We designed a PIMNT/epoxy 2-2 composite to take full advantage of the excellent beam-mode piezoelectric and acoustic features of PIMNT single crystals. Following the approach used for piezoelectric ceramic composites, we selected PIMNT piezoelectric single crystal and EPO-TEK301-2 epoxy resin for the composite, and combined finite element analysis with experimental preparation. We prepared, tested and analyzed 2-2 piezoelectric single crystal composites with varying volume fractions, which showed high electromechanical coupling properties (k(t)>75%) and low acoustic impedance (Z<20MRayl). These encouraging findings suggest the possibility of devising high-performance ultrasonic transducers utilizing the PIMNT/epoxy 2-2 composite.