The microstructure and characteristics of 0.875PZT–0.125PMN ceramics with addition of Pb-based flux

The paper tries to prepare dense piezoceramics by way of reactive liquid phase sintering. Technique concerning a low-temperature sinterable process is developed by incorporating 4PbO.B2O3. The host system is a perovskite type piezoceramics, 0.875Pb(Ti,Zr)O3–0.125Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3. It is clear that PbO deficiency of PMN-based relaxor can result in an excessive amount of pyrochlore phase which causes poor densification and greatly degraded dielectric properties. Additives, such as the Pb-based flux, 4PbO·B2O3, that increase the amount of PbO also reduce the fraction of pyrochlore phase of PMN-based. If small amounts of 4PbO·B2O3 glass powder are added to the calcined 0.875PZT–0.125PMN ceramics, the liquid pase is formed during sintering. Hence, the piezoelectric and dielectric properties are enhanced and the sintering temperature can be reduced. Grain growth in ceramics with sintering time and amounts of 4PbO·B2O3 dopants was also studied. The grain growth was analyzed from the kinetic grain growth equation: Rn=k×t.