TY - JOUR
T1 - Design, modeling, and performance analysis of novel mechanically adaptive 2-1-2-type piezoelectric composite structures
AU - Zhang, Jinying
AU - Wang, Jiacheng
AU - Gao, Zhongwei
AU - Yang, Jiaxing
AU - Chen, Jialin
AU - Wang, Bingnan
AU - Zhang, Ruiheng
AU - Xu, Shuai
AU - Zhao, Chong
AU - Zhong, Chao
AU - Qin, Lei
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026
PY - 2026/3
Y1 - 2026/3
N2 - Flexible ultrasonic transducers are important for wearable medical imaging and therapeutic applications, yet combining high electromechanical performance with structural conformity and array uniformity remains difficult. Here, a 2-1-2-type piezoelectric composite consisting of PZT-4, epoxy resin, and silicone rubber is prepared through a monolithic dice-fill technique. A series-parallel equivalent model is employed to guide the structural optimization of the composite. Based on the theoretical analysis, representative samples with ceramic volume fractions of vc = 50 % and 60 % and a substrate volume fraction of vp = 20 % are selected for fabrication and experimental validation. These composites exhibit high-purity thickness vibration, a thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient (kt) of 0.62, and an acoustic impedance (Z) of 9.41 MRayl, indicating efficient energy conversion and favorable acoustic matching. The composite sustains a maximum tensile load close to 20 N and endures 400 cycles under a 5 N cyclic load without performance degradation. Resonance characteristics remain stable from 20°C to 60°C, showing strong fatigue and thermal stability for long-term wearable use. The fabricated arrays display high inter-element uniformity, with relative mean deviation (RMD) below 1 % and maximum deviation ratio (MDR) below 3 %. These results confirm the 2-1-2 composite as a promising material platform for conformal ultrasonic imaging and wearable therapeutic ultrasound systems.
AB - Flexible ultrasonic transducers are important for wearable medical imaging and therapeutic applications, yet combining high electromechanical performance with structural conformity and array uniformity remains difficult. Here, a 2-1-2-type piezoelectric composite consisting of PZT-4, epoxy resin, and silicone rubber is prepared through a monolithic dice-fill technique. A series-parallel equivalent model is employed to guide the structural optimization of the composite. Based on the theoretical analysis, representative samples with ceramic volume fractions of vc = 50 % and 60 % and a substrate volume fraction of vp = 20 % are selected for fabrication and experimental validation. These composites exhibit high-purity thickness vibration, a thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient (kt) of 0.62, and an acoustic impedance (Z) of 9.41 MRayl, indicating efficient energy conversion and favorable acoustic matching. The composite sustains a maximum tensile load close to 20 N and endures 400 cycles under a 5 N cyclic load without performance degradation. Resonance characteristics remain stable from 20°C to 60°C, showing strong fatigue and thermal stability for long-term wearable use. The fabricated arrays display high inter-element uniformity, with relative mean deviation (RMD) below 1 % and maximum deviation ratio (MDR) below 3 %. These results confirm the 2-1-2 composite as a promising material platform for conformal ultrasonic imaging and wearable therapeutic ultrasound systems.
KW - 2-1-2-type composite
KW - Composite array
KW - Consistency
KW - Equivalent parameter model
KW - Relative mean deviation
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105029868598
U2 - 10.1016/j.jcomc.2026.100709
DO - 10.1016/j.jcomc.2026.100709
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105029868598
SN - 2666-6820
VL - 19
JO - Composites Part C: Open Access
JF - Composites Part C: Open Access
M1 - 100709
ER -