Piezoelectric (Glossary of Printed Electronic terms)

A material that generates an electric charge when mechanically deformed. Conversely, when an external electric field is applied to piezoelectric materials they mechanically deform. Siemens Roke Manor Research in the UK has developed an RFID tag that uses piezoelectricity to create its own power. Organic piezolelectrics have a far weaker effect than the best inorganic ones. A popular organic piezoelectric is polyvinyledene difluoride PVDF.