Low‐Temperature Synthesis of Nanostructured PZT for Dielectric Studies

Crystalline nanostructured PZT (∼6 nm) synthesized by Polyol Auto‐Combustion method has been studied for their high dielectric constants. The synthesis process involves a redox‐type exothermic reaction in which the nitrate ions of the precursor act as oxidizing agent and the hydroxyl groups of ethylene glycol as a reducing agent. PZT formation takes place at a low temperature of 500°C. XRD, SEM and BET measurements were employed in the analysis of the effect of sintering temperature on the PZT grain size. Stable tetragonal single perovskite phase was obtained and the high resolution SEM clearly revealed presence of non‐agglomerated, uniformly distributed and spherical nanoparticles of PZT. Dielectric properties were studied as a function of frequency and temperature. The ferroelectric phase in the prepared PZT is stable up to ∼475°C (T_c) as revealed from the dielectric constant vs. temperature plot. Dielectric constant and losses were measured in the temperature range 30–500°C at various frequencies. The studies revealed a high dielectric constant of ∼390 and dielectric loss of 0.059 at room temperature. The structural property of the PZT was correlated with the dielectric results.

Keywords:

• nanoparticle
• PZT
• ferroelectric
• dielectric
• low‐temperature synthesis

PKP sincerely acknowledges CSIR, New Delhi, India for providing the financial support to carry out this research work.