A Review of the Recent Advances in Piezoelectric Materials, Energy Harvester Structures, and Their Applications in Analytical Chemistry
, Mohammad Noori 6,7 and Sallam A. Kouritem 4
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Authors studied " Recent Advances of Piezoelectric Materials in Analytical Chem- 2 istry: Materials, Structures and Applications". The study looks interesting and could be suitable for publication in the Applied Sciences. But after reviewing it based on the following comments:
The authors should add the abbreviation for each term shown in the equations.
The authors should correct equation 2 Page 1, the compliance matrix term is missing.
Figure 1 Page 2 has changed, the authors must present a clear and explanatory figure of the direct and inverse effect of piezoelectricity.
Line 47/48 Page 2 “Piezoelectric materials are a great source for energy storage 47 and harvesting” Please put a reference because your sentence has several interpretations.
Line 66 Page 2 is the quartz flexible? Please give an example of work on this axis.
Line 934 Page 37 I didn't understand how the quartz will detect the Covid? Please add more details.
To make the comparison between the piezoelectric materials, it is necessary to compare them by
Ø Piezoelectric coefficients dij
Ø Quality factor Q
Ø Matrix of compliance to see its flexibility
I can't find this comparison in the article.
Author Response
Reviewer #1
[Comments]: Authors studied " Recent Advances of Piezoelectric Materials in Analytical Chem- 2 istry: Materials, Structures and Applications". The study looks interesting and could be suitable for publication in the Applied Sciences.
[Respopnse]: We thank the Reviewer for kind words.
But after reviewing it based on the following comments:
[Comments]: English language and style are fine/minor spell check required
[Response]: We sincerely appreciate the Reviewer's comment. We have polished this manuscript by Grammarly.
[Comments]: The authors should add the abbreviation for each term shown in the equations.
[Response]: To address the above comment, abbreviations for each term shown in the equations have been added in the revised manuscript.
[Comments]: The authors should correct equation 2 Page 1, the compliance matrix term is missing.
[Response]: Equation 2 has been updated in the revised manuscript.
[Comments]: Figure 1 Page 2 has changed, the authors must present a clear and explanatory figure of the direct and inverse effect of piezoelectricity.
[Response]: Figure 1 has been updated in the revised manuscript.
[Comments]: Line 47/48 Page 2 "Piezoelectric materials are a great source for energy storage 47 and harvesting" Please put a reference because your sentence has several interpretations.
[Response]: To address this comment, above mentioned sentence has been backed up with reference no. 11 and 12.
[Comments]: Line 66 Page 2 is the quartz flexible? Please give an example of work on this axis.
[Resposne]: This comment has been addressed, and an example of the work on this axis has been added from line no. 91 to 97.
[Comments]: Line 934 Page 37 I didn't understand how the quartz will detect the Covid? Please add more details.
[Response]: A short paragraph from line no. 1167 – 1183 has been added to address the comment, as mentioned above.
[Comments]: To make the comparison between the piezoelectric materials, it is necessary to compare them by:
Ø Piezoelectric coefficients dij
Ø Quality factor Q
Ø Matrix of compliance to see its flexibility
I can't find this comparison in the article.
[Response]: We thank the Reviewer for the kind suggestion. A comparison between the piezoelectric materials for the above properties has been presented from line no. 674-692. Also, Table 3 shows the properties of different piezoelectric materials.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
I appreciate that the authors have collected loads of information and compiled 42 pages article. However, I feel it needs a lot of improvement before it is considered for publication.
My comments on the work are given below.
The topic suggests that the work must be focused on applications of piezoelectric materials on energy harvesting. However as one goes through the introduction it is a general talk about theory of piezoelectrics and harvesters.
Things basic understanding are questionable for example read line 48-51, when authors mention heat, photons, and electricity etc in inputs, which looks very ugly when one knows that definition of piezoelectricity is conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy.
Move further you will see figure 3 & 4 which are not even mentioned in text.
Overall, the introduction is very poor it has technical issues and does not reflect on the topic.
The introduction is followed by very scattered and irrelevant discussions. The authors have consumed 26 pages to start the topic of analytic chemistry and that too starts with basic theory of basic piezoelectricity.
I don’t consider this to be published as review article, though it is a lot of information but it needs to be tailored and focused on a particular theme before considering it for publication.
Author Response
Reviewer #2:
[Comments]: I appreciate that the authors have collected loads of information and compiled 42 pages article. However, I feel it needs a lot of improvement before it is considered for publication.
[Response]: We thank the Reviewer for the kind words and sincere suggestions. We tried our best to answer all comments in the revised Paper.
My comments on the work are given below.
[Comments]: The topic suggests that the work must be focused on applications of piezoelectric materials on energy harvesting. However as one goes through the introduction it is a general talk about theory of piezoelectrics and harvesters.
[Resposne]: An introduction has been revised in the updated manuscript to address the above comment. Applications of piezoelectric energy harvesters have been added from line 55 to 66. Further focusing on the above statement, a paragraph on piezoelectric energy harvesters and materials has been added from line 100 to 109.
Also, for further explanation, the overall paper structure has been discussed in the last paragraph of the introduction from line no. 110 to 124.
[Comments]: Things basic understanding are questionable for example read line 48-51, when authors mention heat, photons, and electricity etc in inputs, which looks very ugly when one knows that definition of piezoelectricity is conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy.
[Response]: We thank the Reviewer for identifying the critical mistake. We were explaining general energy harvesting; unfortunately, the word Piezoelectric was added at that time, creating confusion. We have revised the sentence in the updated manuscript from line no. 55 to 57.
[Comments]: Move further you will see figure 3 & 4 which are not even mentioned in text.
[Resposne]: We sincerely thank the Reviewer for the above comment. All figures and tables have been checked and cited adequately throughout the Paper.
[Comments]: Overall, the introduction is very poor it has technical issues and does not reflect on the topic.
[Response]: The introduction section of the Paper has been revised in light of the Reviewer's comments.
[Comments]: The introduction is followed by very scattered and irrelevant discussions. The authors have consumed 26 pages to start the topic of analytic chemistry and that too starts with basic theory of basic piezoelectricity.
[Response]: Last Section has been revised in an updated manuscript. Also, the overall paper structure has been explained in the last paragraph of the introduction. The Paper has been divided into three sections: Section 01 – focuses on the basic piezoelectric energy harvesting materials, their properties, and recent progress in this area.; Section 02 – explains the piezoelectric energy harvesters' structure and devices; Section 03 – focuses on the applications of piezoelectric materials in Analytical Chemistry. Also we have modified the title of the paper to comply with what was mentioned in the review.
[Comments]: I don't consider this to be published as review article, though it is a lot of information but it needs to be tailored and focused on a particular theme before considering it for publication.
[Response]: We hope the overall Paper structure is now organized and well-explained and all the reviewers' comments are appropriately answered in the revised manuscript. Also we have modified the title of the paper to comply with what was mentioned in the review.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Report to Applied Sciences (MDPI Journal)
Article: Review on the Recent Advances in Piezoelectric Materials, Energy Harvester Structures, and their Applications in Analytical Chemistry
This review presents an overview on fundamentals and recent advances of emergent piezoelectric materials. Provides a detailed review of different piezoelectric materials, their structures, their fabrication processes, and their applications in analytical chemistry. Further, the benefits of using piezoelectric materials, i.e., crystal for gas and liquid chromatography, virus detection including COVID-19 virus detection, water determination, trace metal analysis and the ability to measure micro weights with quartz crystal and some other applications. This review paper has been divided into three well-conceived and organized sections, firstly focusing on a comparison between piezoelectric materials based on piezoelectric coefficients, followed by the presentation of several piezoelectric energy harvester systems, and finally, listing the applications of piezoelectric materials.
Specific comments:
1. The authors selected several examples to illustrate novel concepts and promising applications on piezoelectric materials. However, more critical/perspective comments should be described and explained in the introduction section.
2. The quality of some Figures of the article needs to be improved. Also, in Figure 24 (b) the font size must be changed to improve readability. Figure 31 is incomplete; it is missing some parts of the legends.
3. The review should be concentrated to discuss piezoelectric systems. It is not necessary to talk much about fundamentals of piezoelectricity on introduction section. The mechanisms of piezoelectric systems were further explained and discussed in the main text.
4. The chemical formulas of the several compounds referred throughout the document are not in accordance with the rules for writing chemical formulas., e.g., NO2 should be represented as NO2.
5. Please check all equations have been correctly typeset.
6. References: Please carefully check all references, and some irrelative references should be removed. Meanwhile, a few too old literatures should be updated, especially before 10 years.
7. The term “et al.” is just allowed in the reference list, when there are more than 10 authors. Please provide the first 10 author's name and cite the term "et al" after that. (Refs: 1, 22, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 42, 55 and so on).
8. Please provide publisher name and location for refs. (108, 110, 168), if available.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
[Comments]: This review presents an overview on fundamentals and recent advances of emergent piezoelectric materials. Provides a detailed review of different piezoelectric materials, their structures, their fabrication processes, and their applications in analytical chemistry. Further, the benefits of using piezoelectric materials, i.e., crystal for gas and liquid chromatography, virus detection including COVID-19 virus detection, water determination, trace metal analysis and the ability to measure micro weights with quartz crystal and some other applications. This review paper has been divided into three well-conceived and organized sections, firstly focusing on a comparison between piezoelectric materials based on piezoelectric coefficients, followed by the presentation of several piezoelectric energy harvester systems, and finally, listing the applications of piezoelectric materials.
[Response]: We thank the reviewer for their kind words.
[Comments]: The authors selected several examples to illustrate novel concepts and promising applications on piezoelectric materials. However, more critical/perspective comments should be described and explained in the introduction section.
[Response]: To address the above Comment, new paragraphs about piezoelectric materials and their applications in analytical chemistry have been added from line no. 70-112 in the revised manuscript.
[Comments]: The quality of some Figures in the article needs to be improved. Also, in Figure 24 (b), the font size must be changed to improve readability. Figure 31 is incomplete; it is missing some parts of the legends.
[Response]: Figure 24 and Figure 31 have been changed in the revised manuscript. Also, enhanced quality figures have been placed where applicable.
[Comments]: The review should be concentrated to discuss piezoelectric systems, and it is not necessary to talk much about the fundamentals of piezoelectricity on introduction section. The mechanisms of piezoelectric systems were further explained and discussed in the main text.
[Response]: Further discussion on the piezoelectric systems and materials has been added in the revised manuscript from line no. 70-112.
[Comments]: The chemical formulas of the several compounds referred to throughout the document are not in accordance with the rules for writing chemical formulas., e.g., NO2 should be represented as NO2.
[Response]: All compound formulas have been updated throughout the manuscript according to the rules of writing chemical formulas.
[Comments]: Please check all equations have been correctly typeset.
[Response]: All equations have been checked and updated.
[Comments]: References: Please carefully check all references; some irrelevant ones should be removed. Meanwhile, a few too old literature should be updated, especially before 10 years.
[Response]: we are thankful to the reviewer for the kind suggestion. References have been updated, but we need to keep a few old references to support the basics and applications of piezoelectric materials in analytical chemistry, as not too much work has been done in this domain.
[Comments]: The term "et al." is just allowed in the reference list, when there are more than 10 authors. Please provide the first 10 author's name and cite the term "et al" after that. (Refs: 1, 22, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 42, 55 and so on).
[Response]: All references have been updated in the reference list as suggested to address the above comments.
[Comments]: Please provide the publisher name and location for refs. (108, 110, 168), if available.
[Response]: Publisher name and location for reference no. 108, 110, and 168 have been provided in the revised Paper.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
I am afraid I have to say that the article still needs to be tuned. Like the first draft it is still retains a lot of incoherent passages.
Please stick on to the subject, if I were you, I would focus on the applications in analytic chemistry. And all my literature, figure of merits and discussions on materials would have been relevant to that.
The authors need to know everything can’t be covered in a single article and scattered information makes it less useful for the reader. A few things to consider listed below
Line 68: Check Spell
Line 70-71: Films are not materials; it rather refers to geometry
Line 72: If the paper is only on quartz, then the topic should reflect it
Line 75: Why high temperature and insolubility is important for applications? This sentence is vague, you need to first define the figure of merits for applications of your interest and then bring high temperatures and insolubilities into your discussion
Line 70-107: This discussion on quartz is misplaced and appears out of blue breaking the flow of introduction. If you are interested in materials. You have to first broadly mention the type of piezo materials and then narrow them down to your focus point, however I would still feel there is no need of this in introduction.
The discussion on structures in limited to nano structures and the properties in table 3 are those of bulk materials I presume.
Author Response
[Comments]: I am afraid I have to say that the article still needs to be tuned. Like the first draft it is still retains a lot of incoherent passages.
Please stick on to the subject, if I were you, I would focus on the applications in analytic chemistry. And all my literature, figure of merits and discussions on materials would have been relevant to that.
[Response]: We are sorry for the incoherent passages and sections in our article. We agree with the reviewer that this article can’t cover everything. Keeping this in mind, we have tried our best to fine-tune our paper. We have added two paragraphs in the introduction and deleted the structure section to remain entirely focused and in line with the applications of piezoelectric materials in analytical chemistry.
The authors need to know everything can’t be covered in a single article and scattered information makes it less useful for the reader. A few things to consider listed below
[Comments]: Line 68: Check Spell
[Response]: The word amply has been removed.
[Comments]:
Line 70-71: Films are not materials; it rather refers to geometry
Line 72: If the paper is only on quartz, then the topic should reflect it
Line 75: Why high temperature and insolubility is important for applications? This sentence is vague, you need to first define the figure of merits for applications of your interest and then bring high temperatures and insolubilities into your discussion
Line 70-107: This discussion on quartz is misplaced and appears out of blue breaking the flow of introduction. If you are interested in materials. You have to first broadly mention the type of piezo materials and then narrow them down to your focus point, however I would still feel there is no need of this in introduction.
[Response]: To address the above comment, paragraphs from line 70-107 have been removed and two paragraphs have been inserted from line no. 69-100 in the revised manuscript.
[Comments]: The discussion on structures in limited to nano structures and the properties in table 3 are those of bulk materials I presume.
[Response]: We thank the anonymous reviewer for the kind suggestions and for helping us improve our paper. We have removed the structure section in the revised manuscript to stay in focus on the applications of piezoelectric materials in analytical chemistry and to create a helpful connection among different sections in the manuscript.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
