A relaxor-ferroelectric PMN-PZT thin-film-based drop-on-demand printhead for bioprinting applications with high piezoelectricity and low heat dissipation

This article presents a relaxor ferroelectric, lead magnesium niobate-lead zirconate titanate (PMN-PZT)-thin-film-based piezoelectric drop-on-demand printhead exhibiting high jetting capability and thermal stability. Unlike conventional piezoelectric materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), the PMN-PZT film demonstrates high electrical responsiveness to polarization and reduced hysteresis loss due to polar nano regions, thereby improving printhead’s performance. Our research involves a comprehensive exploration of the fabrication and packaging processes for the PMN-PZT-based printhead, along with optimization of driving pulses to maximize its performance. An in-depth investigation into the dynamics of ferroelectric film’s polarization identifies the best driving conditions that minimize self-heating while maximizing the dynamic displacement of the printhead. As demonstrated in the results, the unipolar pulse, capable of maintaining a consistent polarization direction of the film, yielded twice the displacement compared to driving with a bipolar pulse. Simultaneously, it reduced the thermal dissipation of the printhead by 73.4 %. Consequently, we aim to propose a method for developing ferroelectric thin film-based print heads suitable for various biological modeling research, leveraging their high productivity and thermal stability.