In order to improve hearing ability, piezoelectric materials were directly used to cochlea implants based on piezoelectric characteristics which could transform acoustic vibration into electric signal. A series of experiments were done to substantiate the feasibility of the different piezoelectric cochlea implants in vitro and in vivo. The unpoled ceramic had no piezoelectric characteristic and no ability to decrease the threshold, while the poled ceramic had obvious piezoelectric effect to recover the hearing. Based on these results, it can be affirmed that the piezoelectric cochlea implant can activate the nerve and decrease the threshold. In comparison with ceramics, the piezoelectric polymer is also adaptive for implant material to activate the nerve and improve hearing.
CHEN Heng
,
DONG Xian-Lin
,
LU Fei
,
MA Yan
,
WANG Yong-Ling
. Piezoelectric Cochlea Implants and Their Effect on Improving Hearing[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2007
, 22(1)
: 185
-188
.
DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1077.2007.00185
[1] Hudspeth A J. Science, 1985, 230: 745--752.
[2] Gray R F. Cochlear implants. London: Croom-Helm, 1985.
[3] Huber M. Int J Pediatr Otorhi, 2005, 69 (8): 1089--1101.
[4] Blume S S. Social Science {\& Medicine, 1999, 49 (9): 1257--1268.
[5] Cady W A. Piezoelectricity. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978.
[6] Jaffe B, Cook W R, Faffe H. Piezoelectric ceramics. New York: Academic, 1989.
[7] Uchino K. Ferroelectric Device. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1999.
[8] Plinkert P K, Baumann J W, Lenarz T, et al. Eur Arch Otorinolaryngol, 2000, 257: 304--313.
[9] Wang Z G, Abel E W, Mills R P, et al. Mechatronics, 2002, 12 (1): 3--17.
[10] 董人禾, 高智蔚, 鲁飞, 等(DONG Ren-He, et al). 无机材料学报(Jounral of Inorganic Materials), 1994, 9 (4): 471--474.
[11] 董人禾, 董显林, 鲁飞, 等(DONG Ren-He, et al). 无机材料学报(Jounral of Inorganic Materials), 2002, 7 (4): 862--866.
[12] Harris C M, (Ed). Handbook of Noise Control. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1979.
[13] Feng J, Yuan H, Zhang X. Biomaterials, 1997, 18 (23): 1531--1534.
[14] Gallantree H R. IEEE Procs, 1983, 130: 219--224.
