Piezoelectric Technologies Entrepreneurs Launch New Company

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(Free-Press-Release.com) January 24, 2012 -- A recent research project undertaken at the University of Leeds has successfully evolved into a fully fledged spin out company. Ionix Advanced Technologies ltd (http://www.ionix.at) employs new high temperature piezoelectric materials to satisfy demand for extreme environment, operating in excess of 250 °C, actuators, sensors and transducers.

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Piezoelectric Technologies Entrepreneurs Launch New Company

Welcome visit Our WebSite:

http://www.ionix.at

University of Leeds graduate and winner of the parliamentary and scientific committees gold award for “early research career engineer” 2011 (setforbritain.org.uk (1)) Dr. Tim Stevenson, spun out the company Ionix from the Faculty of Engineering’s Institute for Materials Research, and specialises in novel high performance and lead free piezoelectric architectures and devices, based on proprietary materials invented whilst a postgraduate student with University colleagues Professor Andrew Bell and Dr. Tim Comyn.

Piezoelectric ceramics are materials that exert an electric voltage on the application of an applied external stress, and vice a versa, the application of an electric field causes a small change in the materials dimensions. This ‘piezoelectric’ phenomenon is the basis of many everyday household objects such as gas lighters, speakers, guitar pickups, car reversing sensors and microphones, as well as encompassing many industrial applications spanning a plethora of sectors. Significantly piezoelectrics are used for actuators and motors in fuel injectors and robotics, as transducers employed in both medical and naval SONAR ultrasonic platforms, active vibration dampening, electronic frequency filters, transformers and finally as acoustic/vibration sensors. In fact the market is covered by over 100,000 patent applications, valued as a $15 bn industry worldwide and is dominated by the material lead zirconate titanate (PZT).

Ionix (http://www.ionix.at) found its place in the market with its initial range of high temperature piezoelectric materials, the basis of Dr. Stevenson’s thesis;

“Whereas PZT is exploited in the majority of all piezo applications it is fundamentally limited to temperatures up to 200 °C. The range of ionix materials perform at temperatures in excess of 400 °C, opening avenues to not only improving and replacing previous piezo devices, but also allowing this technology to enter industries and platforms that would have never previously have considered their potential. We are initially working with aerospace, industrial plant, nuclear and automotive industries to develop their sensing and actuating capabilities in extreme environments.”

The company incorporation was completed on the 8th February 2011 and with support from the University of Leeds itself, as well as funding from Yorkshire Forward and industrial sponsors began trading fully in December last year. Ionix is continuing to grow with development and commercialisation of new low lead and lead free materials (Faculty of Engineering News 04.10.2010 (2)) to fulfil the EU directive to remove the exemption of electronic materials being allowed to contain toxic lead. It is hoped these materials will offer a truly green approach to energy harvesting and waste management.

Ionix is one of the 47 active spin out companies formed from the University of Leeds with their total value estimated to be £160 million (enterprise.leeds.ac.uk).

Leeds University related news articles:

1.www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/1590/leeds_researcher_takes_gold_in_parliament
2.www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/news/2010/a-step-towards-lead-free-electronics.shtml

More information can be found online at http://www.ionix.at

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