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Tag: materiais cerâmicos
Interview with Prof. Susan Trolier-McKinstry (Penn State), MRS President.
Piezoelectric materials convert mechanical energy into electric energy and vice versa. They are widely used now for ultrasonic imaging, ink jet printers, sonar systems, sensors, and in precise positioning. Thin film piezoelectric microelectomechanical systems (MEMS) already enable cell phone communications, and offer the possibility of many additional technological changes with the potential for strong social impact. The field of MEMS has already started to generate microscopic machines that are able to capture data from the environment, to process them and to carry out operations involving movement.
This subject will be addressed in a plenary lecture of the XVI B-MRS Meeting by Professor Susan Trolier-McKinstry, who leads a research group at The Pennsylvania State University, USA (Penn State) with expertise in the study and development of piezoelectric thin films and their use in MEMS. In the lecture, the scientist will reveal how she improves the performance of her piezoelectric thin films to use them as sensors, actuators and energy harvesters (that capture small amounts of mechanical energy from the environment to transform them into electrical energy for use them in low-power devices).
At Penn State, Susan Trolier-McKinstry is the Steward S. Flaschen Professor of Ceramic Science and Engineering, Professor of Electrical Engineering, and Director of the Nanofabrication facility. She is also the current president of the Materials Research Society (MRS), which has an international and interdisciplinary membership of about 14,000 people. Previously, Trolier-McKinstry was president of IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control Society and Keramos National Professional Ceramic Engineering Fraternity.
Susan Trolier-McKinstry was born in Syracuse, New York, USA. After completing her primary and secondary studies in public schools in the bordering states of New York and Pennsylvania, she entered Penn State to study Ceramic Science and Engineering. In 4 years of studies, which included her first research work on piezoelectric ceramics, she obtained her B.S. and M.S. degrees. Shortly thereafter, in 1987, she began her doctoral studies in Ceramic Science, also at Penn State, which included a research internship at Hitachi’s Central Research Laboratory in Tokyo, Japan. In both master’s and doctoral works, Troiler-McKinstry was supervised by Professor Robert E. Newnham, an expert in minerals and crystallography who created, in the late 1970s a piezoelectric composite transducer that is now widely used for ultrasound imaging. Susan Troiler-McKinstry received her PhD in 1992 and, at the same year, she began her academic career at Penn State.
Professor Troiler-McKinstry is an associate editor of the journal Applied Physics Letters. She is a fellow of the American Ceramic Society, IEEE and Materials Research Society and a scholar of the World Academy of Ceramics. She has received numerous awards and honors for her research and teaching work, such as the IEEE Ferroelectrics Achievement Award, the Ceramic Education Council’s Outstanding Educator Award, and the Robert L. Coble Award for Young Scholars from the American Ceramic Society, among others. In addition, her biography was included in the book “Successful Women Ceramic and Glass Scientists and Engineers: 100 Inspirational Profiles”, released in 2016.
Besides having developed a distinguished trajectory in research, with more than 12,000 citations to her papers and an h-index=56 according to Google Scholar, Professor Troiler-McKinstry loves teaching and is very proud of the students she has supervised.
Here follows a brief interview with this scientist.
B-MRS Newsletter: – In your opinion, what are your main scientific contributions to the field of piezoelectric thin films? Describe briefly and feel free to share references.
Susan Trolier-McKinstry: – My research group works in three main areas: 1) understanding the factors that control the magnitude of the dielectric and piezoelectric responses of materials, 2) Processing science of electroceramic films, 3) demonstration of low voltage microelectromechanical systems for actuator arrays, sensors, and energy harvesting. In the fundamental area, we have studied the role that domain structure and domain walls play in controlling the properties of high strain piezoelectric films based on ferroelectric compositions. We demonstrated the length scale over which domain walls move collectively, and have quantified the role that grain boundaries and defect chemistry have in influencing wall mobility of lead zirconate titanate. We also contributed to the development of materials that have piezoelectric coefficients that are several times larger than conventional thin films, as well as films that have energy harvesting figures of merit that exceed those of conventional films by ten times. In many cases, it has been necessary to invent and calibrate new tools for assessing the piezoelectric properties (including wafer flexure tools, and mapping interferometers for quantitative piezoelectric measurements on clamped and released parts). Once interesting materials are developed, we then work on understanding how to scale the deposition to large substrate sizes, alternate substrates such as polymers, glasses, and metals. It is also critical to be able to laterally pattern the piezoelectric films without degrading their properties. Thus, the group also studies methods to pattern at length scales ranging from 100 nm to 200 mm. Because the properties of high strain piezoelectric materials are a strong function of the composition and the crystallinity, it is imperative to develop patterning processes that do not degrade either of these factors. Finally, we have made microelectromechanical systems over a wide range of application space, including adaptive optics, rf switches, acceleration sensors, energy harvesters, and CMOS – replacement switches.
B-MRS Newsletter: – Why use piezoelectric materials in MEMS technology?
Susan Trolier-McKinstry: – Many MEMS devices are intended to either generate or sense motion. Piezoelectric materials allow this to be done with very high sensitivities in sensors, and with low voltages in actuators. Thus, it is possible to replace high voltage electrostatic devices with low voltage piezoelectric counterparts. This, in turn, simplifies the electrical system, and allows significant miniaturization of devices. For example, we are now working on a medical ultrasound system for imaging which is small enough that the whole device (including all of the electronics) can be put in a pill and swallowed for investigation of the gastrointestinal tract.
B-MRS Newsletter: – Your research group has already manufactured piezoelectric MEMS devices. Have any of these systems left the lab to be commercialized? Describe in few words, please.
Susan Trolier-McKinstry: – The field of piezoelectric MEMS is exploding now. Thus, many of the materials developments that we have made over the years are being utilized in systems being commercialized now.
B-MRS Newsletter: – What are, in your opinion, the main challenges or goals that material research societies have today?
Susan Trolier-McKinstry: – Scientific societies play crucial roles in improving scientific communication and in helping their members have productive careers. The materials research societies underpin essential interdisciplinary communication through meetings and publications because our field sits at the juncture of chemistry, physics, and engineering. Thus, it is common to see colleagues from different disciplines meeting together and discussing key issues that cross fields at materials research meetings. Key to our future is fostering the diversity of people and fields covered by the society.
B-MRS Newsletter: – In your view, how could the MRS and B-MRS communities enhance their interactions in a productive way?
Susan Trolier-McKinstry: – There are many possibilities here. Good examples might be to identify a particular joint program around an education, outreach or communication goal. One possibility would be to establish a joint program to translate education materials from one language to another to increase the quality of materials education around the world. Other possibilities might be joint programming of a symposium at a meeting, or utilizing publication vehicles like MRS Advances to make work presented at B-MRS meetings more widely available. All of these will hinge on good interactions between the people and societies involved.
On XVI B-MRS Meeting website, click on the photo of Susan Trolier-McKinstry and see her mini CV and the abstract of her plenary lecture: http://sbpmat.org.br/16controter/home/
(Português) Oportunidade para mestrado em Engenharia de Materiais na (DEMa/UFSCar) – área de materiais cerâmicos
(Português) Concurso para professor de Engenharia de Materiais – materiais cerâmicos – na UFPEL.
(Português) Pós-Graduação em Engenharia e Ciência dos Materiais na USP, campus Pirassununga.
SBPMat´s community people: interview with Reginaldo Muccillo.
On the morning of June 09th, in the Italian district of Montecatini Terme, the Materials researcher Reginaldo Muccillo, managing director of our SBPMat from 2012 to 2013, was sworn in as member of the World Academy of Ceramics (WAC). WAC is an international entity, with its main office located in Italy, dedicated to promoting progress in the field of ceramics, as well as to spread awareness regarding the social impact and cultural interactions offered by science, technology, history and arts in the field of ceramics.
Reginaldo Muccillo was one of the seventeen selected members in the 15th election process conducted by the WAC academicians, which recognizes the merit of those who substantially contributed to the field of ceramics. Being the only Brazilian member elected this time, Muccillo shared the induction ceremony with researchers and other professionals from China, Spain, the United States, Finland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal and Sweden. The ceremony was held during the opening session of the International Conference on Modern Materials and Technologies (CIMTEC).
Researcher from the Materials Science and Technology Center of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN), Reginaldo Muccillo earned his undergraduate, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Physics, at the University of São Paulo (USP). He did research stages abroad, first at the National Research Council in Ottawa (Canada) during his Doctorate, then, during his postdoctoral studies, at the Max Planck Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, in Stuttgart (Germany) and the Institut National Politechnique de Grenoble (France). He was the (co) coordinator of seven issues of the Brazilian Electroceramics Symposium, the VII SBPMat Meeting (2008), and the 6th International Conference on Electroceramics (ICE 2013). He has been the main editor of the journal Cerâmica, an official publication of the Brazilian Association of Ceramics (ABCeram) for 15 years. He holds a 1A-level fellowship for research productivity in the Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
What follows is a brief interview with the scientist:
Tell us a bit about your history: what led you to become a scientist and work in the field of ceramic materials?
Already in my undergraduate studies, I left the Engineering course in USP’s Polytechnic School to attend Physics. Holding a research scholarship in the field of Nuclear Physics, I met renowned researchers in the USP’s Physics Institute, who effectively influenced me to pursue a scientific career. Once I graduated, I proceed to IPEN, for my Master in Solid-State Physics. Then, when I concluded my Master’s studies, I went to Canada for a research stage beeing part of my Doctorate course. After returning the IPEN, having defended my doctorate at the USP, I started to conduct researches with ceramic materials, moving from Solid-State Physics to Materials Science and Engineering.
In your opinion, what were your main contributions to the field of Materials?
Working in a research institute, I could focus all my time to conduct the research work itself, to raise resources in supporting entities (São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP, and CNPq) for improving the infrastructure of the laboratory (I am an experimental researcher dedicated to assembling and collecting data from equipment, analyzing such data and wrinting articles to be submitted to indexed and peer-reviewed journals), to train and instruct staff, to organize events, to edit scientific journals and to interact with the productive sector. In addition to the development of fundamental research in the field of Materials, my expertise allows me to seek applications in devices concerning many industrial sectors.
In your opinion, what are the main challenges to your current research topics in Materials Science and Engineering?
Explaining, modeling and providing theoretical equations to several physical and chemical phenomena that occur in the Ceramic Materials Science.
In your opinion, how did you receive the recognition of the international Ceramics research community, as expressed by your election as a WAC scholar?
Developing research work, training staff at undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels, assembling laboratories for the scientific community (multi-users), editing journals (the Cerâmica) in the field of ceramic materials, and researching materials for producing sensors and alternative energy sources, as well as, most recently, flash sintering.
Professor Reginaldo Muccillo eleito acadêmico da World Academy of Ceramics.
O professor Reginaldo Muccillo, diretor administrativo da nossa SBPMat, foi eleito membro profissional da World Academy of Ceramics (WAC). Com a nomeação, Muccillo passa a ser acadêmico dessa organização internacional com sede na Itália dedicada a promover o progresso da área de cerâmicas e fomentar a compreensão do impacto social a das interações culturais da ciência, tecnologia, história e arte no campo das cerâmicas.
Nesta 15ª edição, a seleção de acadêmicos da WAC elegeu quatorze membros na categoria “Ciência” – entre eles, o professor Muccillo – e três em “Indústria e inovação”. A eleição reconhece o mérito de pessoas que fizeram contribuições significativas à área de cerâmicas. Os novos acadêmicos serão honrados em junho de 2014 durante a cerimônia de abertura da International Conference on Modern Materials and Technologies (CIMTEC), que ocorrerá em Montecatini Terme, na Itália.
Pesquisador do Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN), Reginaldo Muccillo possui graduação, mestrado e doutorado em Física pela Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Desenvolveu pesquisas de doutorado no National Research Council em Ottawa (Canadá) e de pós-doutorado no Max Planck Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung em Stuttgart (Alemanha) e no Institut National Politechnique de Grenoble (França).