Lattice structures are presented with a piezoelectric sensitivity, d, much larger in magnitude than that of material comprising the lattice ribs. Large sensitivity is achieved by using piezoelectric bimorph elements as ribs; these bend in response to electric input, giving rise to a much larger displacement than for axial elements. Complex electrical connectivity is helpful but not necessary; surface contact can be sufficient. Lattices are amenable to piezoelectric vibration damping. Piezoelectric sensitivity can be arbitrarily large and is unbounded. Lakes, R. S., "Piezoelectric composite lattices with high sensitivity ", Philosophical Magazine Letters, 94, (1), 37-44 (2014). Rodriguez, B., Kalathur, H. and Lakes, R. S., A sensitive piezoelectric composite lattice: experiment, Physica Status Solidi, 251(2) 349-353 (2014). Buckled bimorph piezoelectric elements exhibit modest enhancements of sensitivity in the context of negative stiffness. Lumped piezoelectric elements exhibit strong enhancement of effective sensitivity via negative stiffness. |