Composites of 0.3Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 –0.7Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 preparedby a sol–gel method

Abstract

Lead magnesium niobate (PMN)–lead zirconium titanate (PZT) electroceramic composites have been fabricated from PMN powder+PZT powder (P–P processing) and PMN powder+PZT solution (P–S processing) using a sol–gel process. The particle sizes of PMN–PZT powder prepared by P–S processing were more than three times greater (>1 µm) in comparison with that of P–P processed powder which was 0.3 µm. The grain size, density, and relative permittivity of PMN–PZT ceramics prepared by P–S processing were larger than those of P–P processed samples. The specimen sintered at 1230 °C by P–P processing exhibited similar properties to the specimen sintered at 1170 °C by P–S processing. Ceramics prepared from a PMN core enclosed in a PZT shell using a polymerized solution mixed at molecular level (powder+solution processing) showed better structural and dielectric properties compared to samples processed with mixed sol–gel powders.