A more biofriendly piezoelectric material
A simple ferroelectric molecular crystal is reported that exhibits piezoelectricity performance that is more than 13 times greater than that of amino acid–based piezoelectric materials and should advance piezoelectric materials further into transplant applications.
Abstract
A ferroelectric molecular crystal displays characteristics required for implantation Devices implanted in the human body for sensing conditions and delivering treatments must be biosafe, biocompatible, and biodegradable. These requirements make piezoelectric materials attractive for their design because they convert mechanical force into electricity and vice versa (1). However, traditional piezoelectrics such as lead zirconate titanate are permanent, rather than transient, in nature (2, 3). Although biodegradable piezoelectrics—such as those including amino acids, collagen, and chitin constituents—have the desired properties for implantation and are immune to infection and inflammation risks (4), they suffer from weak piezoelectric performance (5). On page 1492 of this issue, Zhang et al. (6) report a simple ferroelectric molecular crystal that exhibits piezoelectricity performance that is more than 13 times greater than that of amino acid–based piezoelectric materials (7). When composited with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), the material demonstrates high flexibility and biodegradation and biosafety in physiological environments. The finding should advance piezoelectric materials further into transplant applications.