Glass-Ceramics for Piezoelectric and Optical Applications

Glass-ceramics, hybrid materials formed through the controlled crystallisation of parent glass, combine the advantageous mechanical and thermal properties of glasses with the functional features of crystalline phases. In piezoelectric applications, oriented polar crystals such as fresnoite yield significant charge coefficients and stability at elevated temperatures. Surface crystallisation and texture control enable high d33 values and robust acoustic wave devices. In optical domains, glass-ceramics harness nonlinear optical effects including the Pockels effect and second-harmonic generation, while preserving transparency and fibre compatibility. Recent advances in fibre-based architectures and molten-core fabrication techniques have propelled the integration of glass-ceramic components into photonic networks. Across both fields, modulating composition and thermal treatment affords precise microstructural control, facilitating applications ranging from high-temperature sensors to electro-optic modulators. The global drive for miniaturised, durable and multifunctional devices underpins ongoing research into glass-ceramic design and processing.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Studies of strontium fresnoite glass-ceramics have revealed strong oriented nucleation leading to a highly textured surface layer with c-axes aligned perpendicular to the substrate, optimising piezoelectric response. Detailed microstructural analyses using scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction have clarified the growth kinetics and texture evolution, offering guidelines for tailoring d33 through controlled nucleation depth. In parallel, exploration of the Pockels effect in silicate glass-ceramics has demonstrated direct optical modulation in a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. By heat-treating precursor glasses to induce nanocrystalline domains with non-centrosymmetric crystal symmetry, researchers achieved measurable electro-optic coefficients while retaining glass-like fabrication advantages, laying groundwork for integrated photonic modulators compatible with existing fibre infrastructure.

Glass-Ceramics for Piezoelectric and Optical Applications publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in glass-ceramics for piezoelectric and optical applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Glass-ceramic: A material produced by controlled crystallisation of glass, combining glassy and crystalline properties.

Piezoelectricity: The generation of electric charge in a material in response to applied mechanical stress.

Pockels effect: The linear change in refractive index of a non-centrosymmetric crystal under an applied electric field, enabling electro-optic modulation.

Second-harmonic generation: A nonlinear optical process in which two photons combine to form a single photon at twice the original frequency.

Oriented nucleation: The preferential alignment of newly formed crystals during nucleation, leading to texture in the resulting microstructure.

Surface crystallisation: A mechanism by which crystals form and grow from the surface inward during heat treatment of a glass.

References

1. Microstructure of Transparent Strontium Fresnoite Glass-Ceramics. Scientific Reports (2015).
2. Pockels effect of silicate glass-ceramics: Observation of optical modulation in Mach–Zehnder system. Scientific Reports (2015).
3. Powder-in-Tube Reactive Molten-Core Fabrication of Glass-Clad BaO-TiO2-SiO2 Glass–Ceramic Fibers. Materials (2020).
4. Optical modulation in nonlinear-optical glass-ceramic fiber driven by Pockels effect. Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan (2024).
5. Sr2TiSi2O8 (STS) Polar Glass-Ceramics: Effect of Na2O and CaO Additions in the Parent Glass on the Crystallization Mechanism and on the Piezoelectric Properties. Ceramics (2023).