Additive manufacturing of hybrid polymer-ceramic anisotropic 3D structures for directional piezoelectric sensing

Abstract

This work presents the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of a directional piezoelectric sensing platform based on architected lattice structures produced via additive manufacturing. Two configurations were developed: PIZCAL, a single-material lattice with geometric anisotropy, and Hybrid PIZCAL, a multi-material extension that incorporates passive polymer regions to further enhance directional sensitivity. Both structures were printed using a piezoelectric ABS + BTO composite, with selective integration of PLA in the Hybrid design to mechanically isolate non-target axes. Finite element simulations, microstructural analysis, and electromechanical testing were conducted to assess the piezoelectric performance along the Z, Y, and X axes. The Hybrid PIZCAL achieved a 293% increase in Z-axis voltage-per-mass output compared to a monolithic bulk cube and a 256% increase over the regular PIZCAL. Additionally, off-axis responses were reduced by over 20%, confirming the effectiveness of material zoning in suppressing unwanted piezoelectric activity. These results demonstrate that combining architectural control with passive-active material segmentation enables programmable, high-fidelity directional sensing.