Analyzing the Performance of Various Piezoelectric Materials in Transverse Mode: A Comprehensive Study

Piezoelectric materials are essential to many technological applications because of their extraordinary capacity to transform mechanical energy into electrical signals and vice versa. The performance of several piezoelectric materials in transverse mode a mode in which the tangential of the induced stress is parallel to the material's surface is the main subject of this investigation. The piezoelectric materials show different output voltages in different operation modes as they possess different piezoelectric coefficients for different operation modes. In this study, the various piezoelectric materials, viz., AlN, ZnO, PZT-5A, PZT-5H, PZT-5J, and PVDF, are considered and find out which piezoelectric material produces a higher output voltage. These materials play a vital role in the development of sensors, actuators, and devices for harvesting energy. Many piezoelectric sensors, particularly those based on diaphragm, bridge, and cantilever structures, operate primarily in transverse mode. Therefore, it is essential to conduct thorough investigations or analyses to enhance the understanding of their performance and behaviour in transverse mode. In order to vary the performance of the sensors with different piezoelectric materials, a cantilever-shaped sensor is proposed in this study. A 3D model of the proposed sensor is modelled and simulated in COMSOL Multiphysics to verify the output voltages of the sensor. The results are studied by comparing the simulated output voltage for various piezoelectric materials for the applied voltage range from 0-10 kPa. It has been observed that the sensor's output is higher when the piezoelectric material has a higher voltage coefficient (g31).