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Material Is Ideal for Use in Medical Applications

Morgan Technical Ceramics (MTC) introduces its piezoelectric composite components, which dramatically improve the performance of ultrasound transducers used in medical applications, including sensors for catheters, blood pressure, auditory sounds, vascular flow, and medical imaging. Components manufactured with piezocomposite materials offer significant improvements over traditional transducer materials, which result in increased acoustic performance.

MTC’s piezoelectric composite material, consisting of a ferroelectric ceramic in an electrically-inactive polymer matrix, is specifically formulated with high coupling values and high dielectric properties, and is well suited for thin and small parts. Combining the piezoelectric ceramic with polymer filler means that the overall density of the material better matches the medium through which the sound waves travel. This results in lower acoustic impedance, higher energy transfer through body tissue, and a lower reverberation level on the front face of the acoustic device.

The material reduces the cross coupling that can occur between different modes in the ceramic of conventional transducers, enabling medical components to respond more precisely and predictably. Components manufactured with MTC’s piezoelectric composite materials reduce spurious activity, offering higher transmit and receive efficiency. They also provide lower acoustic impedance and improved transducer bandwidth compared to those made of conventional piezoelectric ceramics alone.

MTC offers piezoelectric composites in 1-3 and 2-2 structures, in sizes up to 1.5” square and frequencies from 100 kHz to 12 MHz. Piezoelectric volume fractions can be tailored for any application to enhance transmit and receive response rates.

The piezocomposites provide increased design flexibility because they can be thermoformed to conform to curved, complex geometric surfaces to which conventional piezoceramic materials often cannot be shaped. MTC offers piezoelectric composites in both standard and custom materials, including types I, II, and VI, as well as single crystal lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT).

For further information please visit www.morganelectroceramics.com or contact +44 (0) 1978 810456 for European / Asian enquiries or +1 (440) 232 8600 for USA / Australasia enquiries.