Poiseuille Medal Award Lecture: Piezoelectricity of biopolymers

The piezoelectricity of semicrystalline biopolymers was first discovered for wood and bone in the 1950's. piezoelectric properties have since been investigated for a number of biological substances, including polysaccharides, proteins and deoxyribonucleates. The shear piezoelectric constants -d(14) = d(25) were determined for their oriented structures with a uniaxial symmetry D-infinity. From studies of synthetic polypeptides and optically active polymers, it was concluded that the origin of piezoelectricity lies in the internal rotation of dipoles such as CONH, Values of d(14) = -10 pC/N were determined for highly elongated films of poly-L-lactic acid, optically active and biodegradable, The implantation of this polymer induced the growth of bone, possibly because ionic current caused by piezoelectric polarization stimulated the activity of bone cells. Submicron-thick polyurea films were prepared by evaporating diisocyanate and diamine monomers in vacuum, After poling, the films exhibited pyro- and piezoelectric effects. The tensile piezoelectric constant d(31) = 10 pC/N persisting up to 200 degrees C was also observed for aliphatic polyurea films.