Electric Field Sensor Based on Piezoelectric Bending Effect for Wide Range Measurement

In this paper, we report on the new design of an electric field sensor based on piezoelectric bending effect in a capacitive-sensing method. The bipolar electric field sensor with a range from -22 to 22 kV/cm concentrates on a bending structure to enlarge the piezoelectric effect and to control its bending orientation. It performs with a much higher sensitivity of 0.448 pF/(kV/cm) or 5.78%/(kV/cm) and has a better resolution of 7.0 V/cm at E=0. Factors influencing the capacitance response are also discussed, which might further optimize the sensitivity. Moreover, the analytical model and experimental results make an agreement on the reasonability of this electric field sensor, gaining an insightful guide to the potential capacitive-sensing electric field chip sensor widely distributed in sensor networks.