Electric field-induced volume change in pyro-vanadate-phosphates: Toward an alternative actuator architecture.

We discovered large electric-field-induced strain in pyro-vanadate-phosphate Cu2−xZnxV1.8P0.2O7. Distinct from conventionally used piezoelectric materials including lead-zirconate-titanate, this material expands almost isotropically at room temperature when an electric field is applied. This volume change, exceeding 1000 ppm under the field of E = 3900 V/cm, is of the largest class induced by an electric field. The strain is phenomenologically interpreted as electrostriction because it is symmetric about E = 0 and because it obeys a higher term than E-linear such as E squared. The present x-ray diffraction experiments suggest that the applied electric field distorts the crystal lattice, although there is no structural phase transition. This material performs a volume-change-driven actuator function that is distinct from the strain-driven counterpart of piezoelectric materials. The discovery of actuator functionality in a material system with a non-perovskite structure, unlike the actuator materials developed to date, is a major breakthrough for future actuator engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]