Abstract

Piezoelectric materials exhibit unique electromechanical coupling characteristics, which make them suitable for a wide range of applications, including sensors, actuators, transducers, and energy harvesting devices. Embedding piezoelectric ceramics, such as PZT-5 fibers, into a polymer matrix improves the flexibility, processability, and tunability of these piezocomposites, enabling their use in adaptive structures and acoustic metamaterials. This study presents micromechanical modeling and investigation of piezocomposites, comprising piezoelectric ceramic fibers embedded in a polymer matrix, to examine how interfacial bonding characteristics and negative-stiffness inclusions influence their effective electromechanical properties. Imperfect bonding at the fiber-matrix interface is modeled using interfacial spring stiffness parameters. To represent negative-stiffness inclusions, the fiber phase is assigned a negative bulk modulus under consistent boundary and interfacial conditions. The computational results reveal that both interfacial bonding conditions and negative-stiffness inclusions significantly alter the effective electromechanical material properties of the piezocomposite. These findings highlight the critical role of the interphase region in tailoring the electromechanical responses of piezocomposites, offering insight into the design of high-performance piezocomposites in advanced engineering applications, particularly in adaptive systems and acoustic devices. Future research will extend the current analysis to consider temperature effects and material property variability in the fiber and matrix phases.