Piezoelectric Effect in Liquids

• 29 Mar 2023

Recently, scientists observed evidence of the piezoelectric effect in liquids for the first time.

• The piezoelectric effect is a phenomenon where a body develops an electric current when it is squeezed.
• The research team found the piezoelectric effect in two pure ionic liquids at room temperature, which are liquids made of ions instead of molecules.
• The discovery challenges the existing theory that describes the effect and opens up new possibilities for electronic and mechanical systems.
• The piezoelectric effect has been known for 143 years and was previously observed only in solids.
• The piezoelectric effect was expected only in solids because they have an organized structure that enables the effect. The liquids do not have such structure, so the discovery is surprising.
• The strength of the effect was found to be lower in the liquids than in quartz, the most famous piezoelectric crystal.
• The liquids could be used in electronic and mechanical systems that have not been accessible with solid-state materials.
• The liquids are more readily recyclable and pose fewer environmental issues than many currently used piezoelectric materials.
• The discovery requires a theoretical framework with predictive power to understand these experimental observations.
• The researchers' work highlights the need for more research on the properties of liquids and how they can be utilized for various applications in the future.