Piezoelectrics, which can convert mechanical-electrical energy or vice versa, are widely used in sensors, transducers, and actuators. It has been well demonstrated that engineered domains with smaller sizes can contribute to higher piezoelectric performance. However, poling engineered domains with a size less than 1 μm has been a long-standing challenge. Here, we succeeded in creating nanosized engineered domains in two-dimensional (2D) clamped BaTiO₃ ceramics via in situ single-grain poling. The as-obtained domain pattern consists of 90° a–a domains with a width of only ~40 nm, achieving an order of magnitude reduction in domain size compared to the initial state. The creation of nanosized engineered domains mainly results from elastic energy rebalancing under in-plane 2D clamping stresses from surrounding grains, which could be manipulated by poling voltage. Meanwhile, we demonstrate that the nanosized engineered domains exhibit a memory effect during cyclic poling treatments. The present study suggests a promising strategy for engineering nanodomains in piezoelectric materials simply by regulating their dimensions.

Lead-based perovskite piezoelectric ceramics exhibit tunable Curie temperatures through sophisticated compositional design, which is critical for high-temperature applications. However, predicting T_c remains challenging owing to complex compositional spaces. Herein, we develop an interpretable machine learning framework leveraging published experimental data to guide the chemical design of lead-based piezoelectric ceramics. Our methodology involves: (1) exhaustive screening of feature combinations to minimize cross-validation errors, (2) Bayesian optimization of hyperparameters to reduce model error and improve predictive accuracy (R² > 0.98), and (3) Shapley Additive Explanations and partial dependence analysis to elucidate feature-T_c correlations and mitigate the black-box nature of conventional machine learning. Furthermore, the Sure Independence Screening and Sparsifying Operator method extracts explicit mathematical formulas correlating with experimental T_c values (R² > 0.90). This work not only advances the rational design of lead-based piezoelectric ceramics for temperature-specific applications but also establishes a paradigm for machine learning in other functional material systems.

The widespread presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in wastewater poses a significant threat to public health and ecological safety, as wastewater systems act as major conduits for ARB transmission. Piezocatalysis technology, which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) from green reactants like H₂O and O₂ under mechanical stimulation, offers a promising alternative to traditional disinfection methods, such as chlorine and ultraviolet radiation. This study focuses on using perovskite materials as piezocatalysts due to excellent piezoelectric properties, high ROS generation efficiency, and positive surface potential. The positive charge on the surface of the piezocatalysts enhances electrostatic interactions with bacterial membranes, leading to membrane damage induced by ROS. This mechanism demonstrates remarkable bactericidal effects, including inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Notably, the perovskite piezocatalyst retains its disinfection effectiveness after 10 cycles, highlighting its sustainability and reusability. This work uniquely establishes the synergy between positive surface potential and strong piezoelectricity in perovskite materials as a strategy for achieving highly efficient, stable, and reagent-free inactivation of ARB in complex aqueous environments. These findings suggest that perovskite-based piezocatalysis holds great potential as an ideal solution for the bactericidal disinfection of ARB in complex wastewater system.

Textured piezoelectric ceramics have received considerable recent attention due to their superior electromechanical properties, low cost, uniform composition, shape-controlled fabrication process, etc.. In this review, the principles of design and preparation techniques of textured piezoelectric ceramics were introduced. The characteristics and advantages of textured ceramics were compared to those of single crystals and non-textured ceramics. Recent work on the fabrication of microcrystalline templates and textured lead-based piezoelectric ceramics was represented. In addition, the present issues and challenges of textured lead-based piezoelectric ceramics were also discussed.