The reliability of a ceramic structure or device is closely related to its faults, such as structural defects and cracks. Here, we show that cracking in piezoelectric semi-conductive ceramics (PSCs) can be restrained with the application of an electric current. Due to the crack-generated flexoelectricity, piezoelectric polarization charges that generate and gather on the front of a crack result in a strong thermoelectric effect. The phase transition and plastic deformation happened near a crack tip can hinder the propagation of the crack and even lead to its partial closure. These new findings are instructive to study the crack control and the design of PSC devices with damage tolerance.

中文翻译：

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脆性氮化镓陶瓷中电流抑制裂纹扩展

陶瓷结构或器件的可靠性与其缺陷密切相关，如结构缺陷、裂纹等。在这里，我们表明可以通过施加电流来抑制压电半导体陶瓷 (PSC) 的开裂。由于裂纹产生的挠曲电，产生并聚集在裂纹前部的压电极化电荷会导致强烈的热电效应。裂纹尖端附近发生的相变和塑性变形会阻碍裂纹的扩展，甚至导致其部分闭合。这些新发现对于研究具有损伤容限的 PSC 器件的裂纹控制和设计具有指导意义。