The question title pretty much says it all. Assuming the piezoelectric material does not decompress, I assume the electrostatic potential between its poles should remain constant. Will it maintain this charge for a relatively long time, or will some other factor cause it to decay?
1 Answer
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The piezoelectric material has a tiny, tiny bit of electric conductivity, which will dissipate the charge buildup over time.
In addition, the air surrounding the piezoelectric slab is also very very slightly conductive and will tend to dissipate any surface charge on it.
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$\begingroup$ Thank you for your answer. Does this mean a piezoelectric crystal under constant strain would discharge simply by connecting the two poles with a conductor? $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 4 at 9:58
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$\begingroup$ Yes, but the piezo unit then sits in a bent state holding little charge- if you unbend it (allow it to spring back) it will put out another pulse of opposite polarity. Note that all this depends on the input impedance of whatever it is connected to. It's sort of a messy business. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 4 at 15:22