Fabrication and properties of fine scale 1-3 piezocomposites by modified lost mold method

The fabrication of 1-3 piezoelectric PZT/polymer composites using a modified lost mold method is discussed. The modification is in the method of forming the mold. Two new types of sacrificial polymer molds were investigated. In one of the methods, dental wax sheets ~1.25 mm thick were punched to get the negative of the desired ceramic structure. The wax molds were infiltrated with a slurry containing a high solids loading of PZT particles. Particle size distribution of the PZT powder was controlled to optimize the slurry viscosity and solids loading. After drying, the molds were burned out, and the PZT structures sintered to high density in a controlled lead atmosphere. Various structures with 1-3 rods ranging in size from 50 to 500-μm in diameter, and with shapes inducing diamonds, hexagons, triangles, squares, and cylinders were fabricated. In another method, the mold was developed by bundling of hollow polyester fibers (ID=240-μm) and filling them with PZT slurry. The sintered rod structures obtained from either type of molds were backfilled with polymer, polished, electroded and poled. The processing of the piezocomposites and their electromechanical properties will be presented