Piezoelectricity
is
the electric charge that
accumulates in certain solid materials (such as crystals, certain
ceramics, and
biological matter such as bone, DNA and various proteins) in response
to
applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means
electricity
resulting from pressure.
The Piezoelectric effect is thought as the electrochemical interaction between the mechanical and electrical state of its crystalline materials. The effect is a reversable process the generates an electrical charge when a mechanical strain is applied, and an internal mechanical strain when electricity is applied. A measurable amount of piezoelectricity occurs when th static structure is deformed by about 0.1% of its original dimention. In the other direction, its form with change about 0.1% of its original dimention, when an external electric feild is applied to the material.
Piezoelectricity
is found in useful applications such as the production and detection of
sound,
generation of high voltages, electronic frequency generation,
microbalances,
and ultrafine focusing of optical assemblies. It is also the basis of a
number
of scientific instrumental techniques with atomic resolution, the
scanning
probe microscopies, and everyday uses such as acting as the ignition
source for
cigarette lighters and push-start propane barbecues.