Piezoelectric Structure With a 3-D Printed Mesh Layer

Dielectric structures containing ferroelectret layers are commonly investigated because of their high piezoelectric activity. The mechanical properties of electret–gas-only ferroelectrets are limited; therefore, new layered structures containing nonelectret materials are explored. Separation of requirements related to the mechanical and electrical properties of particular layers is the latest concept to achieve structures with a higher piezoelectric response. This article presents an exemplary dielectric-layered structure exhibiting piezoelectric activity, where 3-D printed polylactic acid (PLA) mesh layer, polypropylene (PP) electret foil, and elastomer top layer are applied. The piezoelectric coefficient ${d}_{33}$ , measured under static conditions, is found to be at the level of 300 pC $\cdot \text{N}$ ⁻¹. The simplified model of the structure is proposed to allow for the determination of the piezoelectric coefficient ${d}_{33}$ . Due to the presented model, an improvement of the piezoelectric response is possible by optimizing the electrical properties and geometry of the particular layers. A comparison of calculated and measured values of the ${d}_{33}$ coefficient confirms the validity of the proposed model. The influence of the poling voltage and the static pressure on the structure piezoelectric properties is experimentally examined.