Publication Date:
2011-02-03
Description:
The addition of ZnO nanowhiskers (ZnO w ) in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) matrices results in reinforced composite materials but deteriorates their electrical properties. In this study, novel piezoelectric PZT/ZnO w composites modified with Nb 2 O 5 were successfully fabricated using solid-state sintering method. The experimental results showed that the addition of 0.5 wt% Nb 2 O 5 resulted in highly dense and homogenous PZT composites after sintering at 1150°C, with good piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties similar to pure PZT, specifically piezoelectric constant d 33 =665 pC/N, electromechanical coupling factor k p =0.7, relative dielectric constant ɛ=5048, and remnant polarization P r =30.2 μC/cm 2 . The “soft effect” of Nb 5+ ions, reflected in the improvement of the aforementioned properties, is attributed to the accommodation of Nb 5+ ions at the B sites of the lattice of PZT. Compared with the PZT/ZnO w reinforced composites, the mechanical properties were slightly improved by adding 0.5 wt% Nb 2 O 5 , where flexural strength σ f of 128 MPa and fracture toughness K I C of 1.46 MPa·m 1/2 were measured.
Print ISSN:
0002-7820
Electronic ISSN:
1551-2916
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
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