Characterization of 1-3 Piezoelectric Composite with a 3-Tier Polymer Structure

In order to boost the electromechanical coupling factor and decrease the characteristic impedance, a 1-3 piezoelectric composite with a 3-tier polymer structure was designed and fabricated, in which epoxy resin constitutes the middle layer and silicone rubber is used to clamp the epoxy. The effective parameters of the composite, such as resonant frequency, electromechanical coupling factor, and characteristic impedance, were studied by the finite element method and experiment. The experimental results indicate that the electromechanical coupling factor of the composite is enhanced by 8.4% and the characteristic impedance is decreased by 52.8%, compared with the traditional 1-3 ceramic/epoxy composite.