Comparative study of the hard and soft PZT-based ceramics sintered by various methods

Abstract

A comparative study of the microstructure, experimental density, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of hard and soft PZT-based ceramics sintered by various methods (conventional ceramic technology, hot press, spark plasma sintering) is carried out. It is found that for hard ceramics, the sintering method has a much more significant effect on the size and shape of grains than for soft ceramics. For both hard and soft ceramics, it is found that the maximum values of the experimental density, dielectric and piezoelectric parameters are achieved using spark plasma sintering. Optimum sintering temperatures are established for each group of materials.

Keywords:

• piezoelectric ceramics
• spark plasma sintering
• hot pressing