41: Piezoelectric Materials: In Your Body, Underwater, and In Space (ft. Dr. Susan Trolier-McKinstry)

The Curie brothers discovered a class of materials that, with an asymmetrical crystal structure, could produce an electric potential upon mechanical deformation. These piezoelectric materials are now widely used in the medical, naval, and space industries. Before we introduce our guest, check out our free professional development guide for materials scientists and engineers! Today’s guest is Dr. Susan Trolier-McKinstry. She is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State, where she is the Director of The Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics as well as the Center for Three Dimensional Ferroelectric Microelectronics. In this episode, she dives into the working principles and applications of piezoelectric materials. In this conversation, we discuss the following topics: What are piezoelectric materials The asymmetric crystal structure of piezoelectronics The intersection between ultrasound and sonar technology Correcting the lenses of telescopes Miniaturized ultrasound  Piezoelectric materials used in computing devices Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice.  Also, check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! Thank you Joao Morgado for editing this episode! Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field. For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at [email protected]. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.