Preparation and piezoelectric properties of textured PZT ceramics using PZT nano fibers

PZT nano piezoelectric fibers were prepared by hydrothermal-template method. The effects of some reaction conditions on preparation were investigated, such as PH value, reaction temperature and time. The optimal hydrothermal conditions for preparing PZT nano fibers are that pH value is 13, reaction temperature is 190°C, hydrothermal reactor filling degree is 60 %-70 %, reaction time is 10h, and the activated carbon is as the template. Based on the observation from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that the diameter of PZT fibers is around 100nm with the length up to a few microns, and the fibers are arranged orderly in one direction. PZT ceramics made of the fibers was obtained through pressing carefully the fibers along a direction as possible, then sintering at the temperature of 1050°C for 1.5 hour. The textured PZT ceramic microstructure was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The piezoelectric properties were determined by impedance analyzer. The results indicated that the PZT ceramic had a high value of k_t/k_p (1.8567) compared with the conventional PZT ceramic made of milled PZT powder. It means that the novel textured PZT ceramic shows very good anisotropic property and has potential application as a sensor or device with high direction sensitivity.