EFFECTIVE-MEDIUM THEORY OF PIEZOELECTRIC COMPOSITES

Based on the developed multiple-scattering theory [C.-W. Nan and F. S. Jin, Phys. Rev. B 48, 8578 (1993)], an effective-medium theory (EMT) is proposed to treat coupled electromechanical behavior in composite media. The explicit relations for determining effective behavior of piezoelectric composites are derived. To illustrate the technique, numerical results of piezoelectric ceramic/epoxy composites for various particle shapes are presented over the whole range of concentrations. The EMT estimates are shown to be in good agreement with available experimental results. Porous piezoelectric ceramics are also discussed. The EMT predicts a similar critical behavior for heterogeneous piezoelectric materials to recent experiments.