Processing Optimization and Toxicological Evaluation of 'Lead-Free' Piezoceramics: A KNN-Based Case Study

Autor: Antonio Iacomini, Juan Antonio Tamayo-Ramos, Carlos Rumbo, Irem Urgen, Marzia Mureddu, Gabriele Mulas, Stefano Enzo, Sebastiano Garroni
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Materials, Vol 14, Iss 15, p 4337 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1996-1944
DOI: 10.3390/ma14154337
Popis: Due to the ever-increasing limitations of the use of lead-based materials, the manufacturing of lead-free piezoceramics with competitive piezoelectric properties and established nontoxicity is considered a priority for the scientific and industrial community. In this work, a lead-free system based on sodium potassium niobate (KNN), opportunely modified with MgNb2O6 (MN), was prepared through a combination of a mechanochemical activation method and air sintering, and its toxicity was evaluated. The effect of the mechanical processing on the microstructure refinement of the processed powders was established by X-ray diffraction and the average crystallite size content of the Nb2O5 species was evaluated. The experimental evidence was rationalized using a phenomenological model which permitted us to obtain the amount of powder processed at each collision and to optimize the activation step of the pre-calcined reagents. This influenced the final density and piezoresponse of the as-sintered pellets, which showed optimal properties compared with other KNN systems. Their toxicological potential was evaluated through exposure experiments to the pulverized KNN-based pellets, employing two widely used human and environmental cellular models. The in vitro assays proved, under the selected conditions, the absence of cytotoxicity of KNN-bases systems here studied.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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