2009/12/07 > eTech France 235 > Piezo Institute - A European Research Center on Piezoelectricity

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		Special Feature Piezo Institute - A European Research Center on Piezoelectricity http://www.bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/61466.htm Do you know what piezoelectricity is? Perhaps not, although the word might seem familiar. It means the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to mechanical stress. They also have the opposite effect, i.e., the application of electric voltage produces mechanical strain in the materials. Discovered in the nineteenth century, piezoelectricity is a technology currently used in numerous areas of daily life. Yet, the public and industry know little about the technology although it still has huge potential. Europe has decided to marshal its hereto scattered troops to develop joint projects and gain an equal footing with the United States and Japan that have several major research teams in the field. So, in the summer of 2008, the Piezo Institute was created. It now has about 150 researchers, including French scientists, among others the team of Professor Marc Lethiecq (François Rabelais University, Tours) who is one of the two project initiators. The academic, who is also the Piezo Institute Scientific Coordinator, talks here about the original facility. Interview by Jean-François Desessard. BE France - How was the Piezo Institute born? Marc Lethiecq - For the Sixth Framework Program for Research and Technological Development (FPRD), with Danish Ferroperm Piezoceramics, we filed a request for the creation of a European network of excellence called MIND (Multifunctional Integrated Piezoelectric Devices), which was accepted. The Danish company and network coordinator handled financial management, among others, interfaced with the European Commission. The MIND network work program included the creation of an institute that could ensure the durability of its different developments. That was how the Piezo Institute was born in early summer 2008. It is a nonprofit international association whose head office is in Brussels. It has founding and associate members from academia and industry from different European countries. The Piezo Institute is an open structure. So, once a potential partner has substantial activity in the field of piezoelectricity and wants to work with member of the Piezo Institute, the way is cleared for the partner to become an associate member. After two years, if the associate member has become more widely involved in the field, then he or she can become a full member and get a seat on the board. BE France - Was it important or even urgent to bring together all of Europe's forces in piezoelectricity within the same Institute? Marc Lethiecq - European academic or industrial skills and expertise in piezoelectricity were widely scattered. The goal was to clear the way for more exchanges and joint work between the numerous small teams in Europe so that they could optimize their expertise and pool their respective equipment. As a result, any Piezo Institute member can now draw on a kind of virtual institute that has unique equipment that the members had never had access to, and at advantageous terms. Today, the Piezo Institute has critical mass of about 150 European researchers, well able to compete with their US and Japanese counterparts, through the development of joint projects that are 'certified' by the Institute's Scientific Council. " It is crucial for Europe to be ranked among the world leaders in the field, as piezoelectricity applies to numerous industries. For instance, the huge advances in diesel fuel engines in terms of consumption are due to the Common Rail system wherein the injectors are fitted with piezoelectric actuators that send a precise amount of fuel at every instant of the engine combustion cycle. Also, the micromotors fitted on the autofocus devices of the cameras built into cell phones use piezoelectricity, as do the Inkjet printer cartridges of a famous brand. BE France - What are the Piezo Institute's members' main research topics? Marc Lethiecq - The development of new piezoelectric ceramics without any material harmful to the environment is a major challenge. The standard material available on the market (PZT) contains zirconium, titanium and lead. However, lead is banned throughout industry, namely in the electric sector, except for piezoelectricity because no other material can replace PZT today. The Piezo Institute teams are working hard on micro- and nanotechnologies for manufacturing processes. Their goal is to build miniature piezoelectric structures, either as very thin films or as more complex structures such as nanowires or nanotubes For applications, Our members are focusing on high-resolution ultrasound imaging, whose resolution should make it possible to take images of superficial structures such as the skin, cornea or even iris of the eye. The technologies should also lead to the design of miniature probes that could be inserted into blood vessels to take images of the vessel walls and detect any atheromatous plaque. Energy recovery from vibrating structures made of piezoelectric materials, a plane wing for instance, is also one of their research topics. The scientists are also tackling the design of implants such as pacemakers or hearing aids, which could be self-powered by the electricity generated by the movements of the human body.	>> Suivant Version imprimable >> Transmettre cette info par email >> Recommander ce site à un collègue / ami >> S'abonner au eTech France >> FAQ / foire aux questions >> Conditions d'utilisation >>


	Pour en savoir plus, contacts :	Piezo Institute : - Marc Lethiecq - Phone: +33 (0)2 54 55 84 24 - email: marc.lethiecq@univ-tours.fr - Oliviers Souchon - Phone:+33 (0)2 47 36 70 88 - email: olivier.souchon@univ-tours.fr - http://www.piezoinstitute.com	Code brève ADIT : 61466

	Rédacteur :	ADIT - Jean-François Desessard - email: jfd@adit.fr


	Origine :	eTech France numéro 235 (7/12/2009) - ADIT / ADIT - http://www.bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/61466.htm

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