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Ternary system piezoelectric ceramics 0.7PbZrxTi1−xO3-0.3Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (abbreviated as 0.7PZTx-0.3PZN) were prepared by a traditional solid-phase process. With the increase in Zr content, the electrical properties of the ceramics were significantly improved, and this result could be attributed to the change in the ceramic phase structure. The relationship between the change in Zr content and the ceramic phase structure and properties was investigated in detail by component modulation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that the phase structure of the ceramics undergoes a transition from the coexistence of tetragonal (T) and rhombohedral (R) phases to the predominance of rhombohedral (R) phases as the Zr content x increases. The phase structure of the ceramics at x = 0.49 is closer to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), with about 32% of the T-phase and 68% of the R-phase, and possesses good electrical properties: d33 = 483 pC/N, kp = 0.69, εr = 2171.7, tanδ = 0.016, Tc = 292.5°C, Pr = 35.9 μC/cm2, Ec = 7.7 kV/mm. Constructing the MPB of 0.7PZT-0.3PZN piezoelectric ceramics by varying the Zr content can be effective in improving the electrical properties and understanding more broadly how the change in Zr/Ti composition affects the piezoelectric behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric flags have functions of both classic flags and energy harvesting, and are becoming a new research focus. Interface circuits that convert wind energy to electrical energy are the key component of piezoelectric flags. A new structure for piezoelectric flags was designed to generate vibration by wind induction. After theoretical analysis, only SEH (standard energy harvesting) and SSHC (synchronized switch-harvesting-on capacitors) interface circuits were found suitable for piezoelectric flags. Simulation in Multisim was performed to compare SEH and SSHC in different load resistance. Experiments were carried out using different wind speeds. The on-time and delay-time of each switch were controlled by the proposed control algorithm. Both simulation and experimental results indicate that the output voltage with SSHC is higher than the output voltage with SEH. When the resistance is 1700 kΩ and the wind speed is 24 m/s, the output power of SSHC can be increased by 45.63% compared with the SEH circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the preparation of (Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics, different Ca2+ and Zr4+ contents will greatly affect the phase structure, microstructure, and electrical properties of the ceramics. XRD shows that all samples have pure perovskite phase structure, and the (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(ZryTi1−y)O3 ceramics morphotropic phase boundary region from tetragonal phase to rhombohedral phase near 0.08 ≤ y ≤ 0.1. From the dielectric temperature curve, the phase transition temperature (TO-T) was found near room temperature at 0.12 ≤ x ≤ 0.18 for the (Ba1−xCax)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 ceramics. Both Ca2+ and Zr4+ increase have a significant decrease on the Curie temperature Tc. All samples were revealed as relaxers with diffusivities in the range 1.29 ≤ γ ≤ 1.82. Different from the undoped ceramics, ceramics doped with Ca and Zr ions exhibit saturated P–E hysteresis loops, and their ferroelectric properties are significantly optimized. In particular, the (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 ceramic demonstrated optimal properties, namely d33 = 330 pC/N, kp = 0.41, εr = 4069, Pr = 4.8 μC/cm2, and Ec = 3.1 kV/cm, indicating that it is a viable lead-free piezoelectric contender. Variations in Ca and Zr content have a significant effect on the crystal grain sizes and densities of ceramics, which is strongly associated with their piezoelectricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

0.55BaSrTiO-0.45MgO composite ceramics (BST-MgO, x = 0.5-0.65) co-modified with CuO and MnO were prepared by conventional soild state reaction method. The microstructure, phase and morphology were investigated. The results showed the formation of the perovskite BST phase and MgO phase. The dielectric constant ( ε) and tunability ( T) of the ceramic samples increased with increasing Ba content. The dielectric loss (tan δ) and figure of merit achieved their minimum and maximum at x = 0.6, respectively. The obtained ceramic sample with x = 0.6 exhibited favorable properties, which are listed as follows: ε = 190, tan δ = 0.22 %, T = 16 %, E = 5.6 kV/cm and FOM = 72.7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the electrical properties of metal-core piezoelectric ceramic fibers at high temperature, Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 piezoelectric ceramics with high Curie temperature were selected. The Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3) O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 metal-core piezoelectric ceramic fibers were successfully fabricated by extrusion Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 powder around a platinum wire. The microstructure and electrical properties of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramics with different calcining and sintering temperatures were investigated. Compared with the previous metal-core piezoelectric ceramic fibers, the Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 fibers showed lower piezoelectric and dielectric properties (ε33T=1272, k31 = 0.253, and d31 = −120 pC N−1). However, the Curie temperature of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramics is about 295°C, much higher than that of 0.55Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.45Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 ceramics (110°C). The Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 fibers can be used at the highest temperature of 150°C, and the temperature stability of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 fibers is much better than that of 0.55Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.45Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 0.55Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.45Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 (0.55PNN-0.45PZT) ceramics were prepared by conventional solid state reactions. The effects of calcining temperature on the particle size and piezoelectric properties of 0.55PNN-0.45PZT piezoelectric ceramics were investigated. The particle size and crystallinity of 0.55PNN-0.45PZT ceramic powders are influenced by calcining temperature, and therefore the microstructure and final piezoelectric properties of 0.55PNN-0.45PZT are different. The highest piezoelectric properties (d 33 = 720pC/N, k p = 0.55. ϵ r = 6255) were observed at the sample fabricated from the powder calcined at 1100°C, which was attributed to the improved crystallinity and the homogeneous distribution of the particles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Air bearing has been widely applied in ultra-precision machine tools, aerospace and other fields. The restrictor of the porous material is the key component in air bearings, but its performance is limited by the machining accuracy. A combination of optimization design and material modification of the porous alumina ceramic membrane is proposed to improve performance within an air bearing. Porous alumina ceramics were prepared by adding a pore-forming agent and performing solid-phase sintering at 1600 °C for 3 h, using 95-Al2O3 as raw material and polystyrene microspheres with different particle sizes as the pore-forming agent. With 20 wt.% of PS50, the optimum porous alumina ceramic membranes achieved a density of 3.2 g/cm3, a porosity of 11.8% and a bending strength of 150.4 MPa. Then, the sintered samples were processed into restrictors with a diameter of 40 mm and a thickness of 5 mm. After the restrictors were bonded to aluminum shells for the air bearing, both experimental and simulation work was carried out to verify the designed air bearing. Simulation results showed that the load capacity increased from 94 N to 523 N when the porosity increased from 5% to 25% at a fixed gas supply pressure of 0.5 MPa and a fixed gas film thickness of 25 μm. When the gas film thickness and porosity were fixed at 100 μm and 11.8%, respectively, the load capacity increased from 8.6 N to 40.8 N with the gas supply pressure having been increased from 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa. Both experimental and simulation results successfully demonstrated the stability and effectiveness of the proposed method. The porosity is an important factor for improving the performance of an air bearing, and it can be optimized to enhance the bearing's stability and load capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tbx2 is a cancer-related protein that was found to be overexpressed in several human malignancies. The present study aims to investigate the clinical significance and biological role of Tbx2 in human astrocytoma. We examined its protein expression in 102 cases of astrocytoma tissues using immunohistochemical staining. Negative Tbx2 staining was observed in normal astrocytes, and positive nuclear staining was found in 41 out of 102 astrocytoma specimens. The rate of Tbx2 overexpression in pylocytic astrocytoma, diffuse astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, and glioblastoma multiform (GBM) were 0%, 26.1%, 40%, and 52%, respectively. Tbx2 overexpression correlated with poor prognosis in patients with astrocytoma or GBM. Tbx2 plasmid transfection was performed in A172 cells, and Tbx2 siRNA knockdown was carried out in U251 cells. Cell Counting Kit-8, cell cycle analysis, and matrigel invasion assay showed that Tbx2 overexpression upregulated cell proliferation, G1-S transition, and invasion, with corresponding change of cyclin D1, p21, and MMP 2 and 9. Importantly, we demonstrated that Tbx2 reduced apoptosis and conferred resistance to temozolomide in GBM cell lines. Further experiments showed that Tbx2 could regulate mitochondrial fission/fusion balance. Western blot showed that Tbx2 overexpression reduced caspase 3 cleavage, while it induced Bcl-2 and p-Drp1 upregulation. In conclusion, our results indicated that Tbx2 might serve as an indicator for poor prognosis and also be useful as an important therapeutic in human GBM, which inhibits apoptosis through regulation of mitochondrial function., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.