Effect of lead zinc niobate addition on sintering behavior and piezoelectric properties of lead zirconate titanate ceramic

We investigated the effect of lead zinc niobate (PZN) on the sintering behavior and piezoelectric properties of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics. The addition of PZN improved the sinterability of PZT ceramic so remarkably, that at additions of more than 10%, the specimens were fully dense at a temperature as low as 900 °C. The phase of the PZT-PZN ceramics was affected by PZN content and the Zr/Ti ratio in the PZT. With increasing PZN content, a lower Zr/Ti ratio was required for the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). Specimens with the MPB composition showed the highest piezoelectric properties; d₃₃ = 500 pC/N, k_p = 0.68, and S₃₃ = 0.38% at 2 kV/mm.