Samarium supersensors
Piezoelectric materials produce electric charge in response to changes in stress and are thus good sensor materials. One challenge has been growing single-crystal piezoelectrics with uniform properties. As of now, much of the crystal is discarded because of compositional variations. Li
et al.
synthesized single crystals of samarium-doped Pb(Mg
1/3
Nb
2/3
)O
3
-PbTiO
3
that have uniform and extremely high piezoelectric properties (see the Perspective by Hlinka). These crystals are ideal for a variety of sensing applications and could reduce cost by eliminating waste.
Science
, this issue p.
264
; see also p.
228
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