The dense ZnO-Bi₂O₃-MnO₂-xSiO₂ (ZBMS) varistors for x = 0, 1, 2, 3 wt% were fabricated by flash sintering method under the low temperature of 850 °C within 2 min. The sample temperature was estimated by a black body radiation model in the flash sintering process. The crystalline phase assemblage, density, microstructure, and electrical characteristics of the flash-sintered ZBMS varistors with different SiO₂-doped content were investigated. According to the XRD analysis, many secondary phases were detected due to the SiO₂ doping. Meanwhile, the average grain size decrease with increasing SiO₂-doped content. The improved nonlinear characteristics were obtained in SiO₂-doped samples, which can be attributed to the ion migration and oxygen absorption induced by the doped SiO₂. The flash-sintered ZBMS varistor ceramics for x = 2 wt% exhibited excellent comprehensive electrical properties, with the nonlinear coefficient of 24.5, the threshold voltage and leakage current of 385 V·mm⁻¹ and 11.8 µA, respectively.

The 0.7Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.3PbTiO₃(0.7PMN-0.3PT) nanorods were obtained via hydrothermal method with high yield (over 78%). Then, new piezoelectric nanocomposites based on (1−x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) nanorods were fabricated by dispersing the 0.7PMN-0.3PT nanorods into piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymer. The mechanical behaviors of the nanocomposites were investigated. The voltage and current generation of PMN-PT/PVDF nanocomposites were also measured. The results showed that the tensile strength, yield strength, and Young’s modulus of nanocomposites were enhanced as compared to that of the pure PVDF. The largest Young’s modulus of 1.71 GPa was found in the samples with 20 wt % nanorod content. The maximum output voltage of 10.3 V and output current of 46 nA were obtained in the samples with 20 wt % nanorod content, which was able to provide a 13-fold larger output voltage and a 4.5-fold larger output current than that of pure PVDF piezoelectric polymer. The current density of PMN-PT/PVDF nanocomposites is 20 nA/cm². The PMN-PT/PVDF nanocomposites exhibited great potential for flexible self-powered sensing applications.