clipped from: www.eurekalert.org   

Lausanne, Switzerland – May 8, 2008 – Many important electronic devices used by people today would be impossible without the use of ceramics. A new study published in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society illustrates the use of ceramic materials in the development of technological devices, including mobile communication and ultrasonic imaging.

Researchers led by Paul Muralt of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology reviewed the field of ceramic materials and explored the critical role that piezoelectric materials play in advancing technology.

Piezoelectric materials are functional ceramic materials that play a special role in telecommunication and ultrasonic imaging since they have the ability to efficiently transform electrical signals into mechanical vibrations, and vice versa.
Piezoelectricity refers to the ability of some materials, notably crystals and ceramics, to generate electricity when compressed.