Takahiko Homma

Bio: Takahiko Homma is an academic researcher from Toyota. The author has contributed to research in topics: Ceramic & Piezoelectricity. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 6 publications receiving 4370 citations. Previous affiliations of Takahiko Homma include Denso.

Lead-free piezoceramics

Abstract: Lead has recently been expelled from many commercial applications and materials (for example, from solder, glass and pottery glaze) owing to concerns regarding its toxicity. Lead zirconium titanate (PZT) ceramics are high-performance piezoelectric materials, which are widely used in sensors, actuators and other electronic devices; they contain more than 60 weight per cent lead. Although there has been a concerted effort to develop lead-free piezoelectric ceramics, no effective alternative to PZT has yet been found. Here we report a lead-free piezoelectric ceramic with an electric-field-induced strain comparable to typical actuator-grade PZT. We achieved this through the combination of the discovery of a morphotropic phase boundary in an alkaline niobate-based perovskite solid solution, and the development of a processing route leading to highly textured polycrystals. The ceramic exhibits a piezoelectric constant d33 (the induced charge per unit force applied in the same direction) of above 300 picocoulombs per newton (pC N(-1)), and texturing the material leads to a peak d33 of 416 pC N(-1). The textured material also exhibits temperature-independent field-induced strain characteristics.

Piezoelectric ceramic composition and method of production of same, piezoelectric element, and dielectric element

Abstract: A piezoelectric ceramic composition not containing lead, able to be sintered at ordinary pressure, and superior to the past in at least one of the properties unique to piezoelectric ceramic compositions such as the piezoelectric d 31 constant, that is, a piezoelectric ceramic composition having a compound of a general formula {Li x (K 1-y Na y ) 1-x }(Nb 1-z-w Ta z Sb w )O 3 where x, y, z, and w are in the ranges of 0≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦1, 0

Rotary component of a rotary device for heat engines and a method of manufacturing the same

Abstract: A rotary component of a rotary device for heat engines, such as a turbine wheel of a gas turbine or a turbocharger, formed in an integral ceramic-fiber-reinforced sintered ceramic structure. The reinforcing ceramic fibers in the edges of the vanes of the rotary component are oriented radially to prevent the chipping of the edges of the vanes liable to occur in a direction perpendicular to the direction of thickness of the vanes. The rotary component is formed by molding a mixture of a ceramic powder, ceramic fibers and organic additive or additives in a mold having a cavity having the same shape as that of the rotary component except that the depth of sections of the cavity corresponding to the vanes is greater than the height of the vanes to be formed, sintering the molding, and cutting the vanes of the molding in a predetermined height.

Rotary body of thermal engine and its manufacturing method

Abstract: PURPOSE:To improve the strength of a rotary body which consists of a ceramics-sintered body containing ceramic fiber by arranging the ceramic fiber at the end part of the fin in the direction of the end fringe thereof CONSTITUTION:A rotary body 12 used for a fin 13 is formed out of ceramics- sintered body containing ceramic fiber Ceramic fiber 3 at the end part of the fin 13 which surrounds the external face of the rotary body 12 is arranged along the face of the fin in the direction of the end fringe thereof If foreign substance collides against the fin, resulting cut-off is frequently produced in the normal direction to the direction of projection of the fin, thereby, such cut-off may be prevented and the strength can be improved

Perspective on the Development of Lead-free Piezoceramics

Abstract: A large body of work has been reported in the last 5 years on the development of lead-free piezoceramics in the quest to replace lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT) as the main material for electromechanical devices such as actuators, sensors, and transducers. In specific but narrow application ranges the new materials appear adequate, but are not yet suited to replace PZT on a broader basis. In this paper, general guidelines for the development of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics are presented. Suitable chemical elements are selected first on the basis of cost and toxicity as well as ionic polarizability. Different crystal structures with these elements are then considered based on simple concepts, and a variety of phase diagrams are described with attractive morphotropic phase boundaries, yielding good piezoelectric properties. Finally, lessons from density functional theory are reviewed and used to adjust our understanding based on the simpler concepts. Equipped with these guidelines ranging from atom to phase diagram, the current development stage in lead-free piezoceramics is then critically assessed.

Large Piezoelectric Effect in Pb-Free Ceramics

Abstract: We report a non-Pb piezoelectric ceramic system Ba(Ti(0.8)Zr(0.2))O(3)-(Ba(0.7)Ca(0.3))TiO(3) which shows a surprisingly high piezoelectric coefficient of d(33) approximately 620 pC/N at optimal composition. Its phase diagram shows a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) starting from a tricritical triple point of a cubic paraelectric phase (C), ferroelectric rhombohedral (R), and tetragonal (T) phases. The high piezoelectricity of the MPB compositions stems from the composition proximity of the MPB to the tricritical triple point, which leads to a nearly vanishing polarization anisotropy and thus facilitates polarization rotation between 001T and 111R states. We predict that the single-crystal form of the MPB composition of the present system may reach a giant d(33) = 1500-2000 pC/N. Our work may provide a new recipe for designing highly piezoelectric materials (both Pb-free and Pb-containing) by searching MPBs starting from a TCP.

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics: Alternatives for PZT?

Abstract: Investigations in the development of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics have recently claimed comparable properties to the lead-based ferroelectric perovskites, represented by Pb(Zr,Ti)O3, or PZT In this work, the scientific and technical impact of these materials is contrasted with the various families of “soft” and “hard” PZTs On the scientific front, the intrinsic nature of the dielectric and piezoelectric properties are presented in relation to their respective Curie temperatures (T C) and the existence of a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) Analogous to PZT, enhanced properties are noted for MPB compositions in the (Na,Bi)TiO3-BaTiO3 and ternary system with (K,Bi)TiO3, but offer properties significantly lower The consequences of a ferroelectric to antiferroelectric transition well below T C further limits their usefulness Though comparable with respect to T C, the high levels of piezoelectricity reported in the (K,Na)NbO3 family are the result of enhanced polarizability associated with the orthorhombic-tetragonal polymorphic phase transition being compositionally shifted downward As expected, the properties are strongly temperature dependent, while degradation occurs through the thermal cycling between the two distinct ferroelectric domain states Extrinsic contributions arising from domains and domain wall mobility were determined using high field strain and polarization measurements The concept of “soft” and “hard” lead-free piezoelectrics were discussed in relation to donor and acceptor modified PZTs, respectively Technologically, the lead-free materials are discussed in relation to general applications, including sensors, actuators and ultrasound transducers

Microscale acoustofluidics: Microfluidics driven via acoustics and ultrasonics

Abstract: This article reviews acoustic microfiuidics: the use of acoustic fields, principally ultrasonics, for application in microfiuidics. Although acoustics is a classical field, its promising, and indeed perplexing, capabilities in powerfully manipulating both fluids and particles within those fluids on the microscale to nanoscale has revived interest in it. The bewildering state of the literature and ample jargon from decades of research is reorganized and presented in the context of models derived from first principles. This hopefully will make the area accessible for researchers with experience in materials science, fluid mechanics, or dynamics. The abundance of interesting phenomena arising from nonlinear interactions in ultrasound that easily appear at these small scales is considered, especially in surface acoustic wave devices that are simple to fabricate with planar lithography techniques common in microfluidics, along with the many applications in microfluidics and nanofluidics that appear through the literature.