Electromechanical Properties in Composites Based on Ferroelectrics investigates the problem of prediction and non-monotonicity of the effective electromechanical (piezoelectric, dielectric and elastic) properties in two- and three-component composites based on ferroelectric ceramics and relaxor-ferroelectric single crystals. The book analyzes the interrelations between the electromechanical constants of the components, and describes the different analytical schemes for averaging the properties of these materials with different connectivity and microgeometrical characteristics. The book highlights the advantages of different methods for predicting the electromechanical properties and choosing the optimum components, and demonstrates the non-trivial behavior of specific composite architectures and the parameters of value for engineering applications. The book is of benefit to all specialists looking to understand the detailed behavior and electromechanical response of advanced composite materials.

Vitaly Yuryevich Topolov is Professor of the Department of Physics at the Southern Federal University (Rostov-on-Don, Russia). His research interests include heterogeneous ferroelectrics, smart materials, domain and heterophase structures, as well as electromechanical effects in ferroelectrics and related materials. Dr. V. Yu. Topolov has been included in the list of Active Russian Scientists whose papers have been cited over 100 times in periodicals from 2000 to 2006.

Christopher Rhys Bowen is a Reader at the University of Bath, UK. The research interests of Dr. C. R. Bowen are concerned with functional ceramics, including ferroelectric ceramics and composites for modern sensors and actuators, as well as with manufacturing and characterization of these materials.