Single-step acoustoelectric method makes nylon-11 the most powerful piezoelectric polymer yet
Feb 22nd 2026
Researchers used MHz-order surface reflected bulk waves to crystallise highly aligned nylon-11 films in one ambient, energy-efficient step, producing a delta-prime phase with a reported piezoelectric coefficient g33 of 427 × 10^-3 Vm N^-1 and strong mechanical resilience.
- The team applied 10 MHz surface reflected bulk waves (SRBWs) combining mechanical accelerations and evanescent electric fields to drive crystallisation from a nylon-11 solution in about 1 to 5 Wh of energy.
- SRBW-treated films preferentially form the piezoelectric delta-prime phase with long-range crystalline orientation (Herman's orientation f ≈ 0.32) compared with isotropic solvent-cast controls.
- Operando GIWAXS, high-resolution IR, solid-state NMR, DSC and WAXS show simultaneous long-range ordering, a tighter hydrogen-bond network, and trans chain conformations in SRBW films.
- Piezoelectric performance was reported as g33 = 427 × 10^-3 Vm N^-1, which the authors state exceeds values reported for all other piezoelectric polymers to date.
- The films showed mechanical robustness, surviving 20,000 compression cycles at 50 N and tolerating vehicular loads in demonstrations.
- Solvent composition and the SRBW mechanical component strongly influence phase outcome, while the combined acoustoelectric coupling enhances hydrogen-bond order and dipole alignment over purely mechanical or thermal methods.