Gelcasting of Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 based piezoelectric ceramics

Processing conditions for gelcasting of piezoelectric ceramics was studied to fabricate thin-walled hollow structures. The lead zirconate titanate solid solution, commercially known as PZT-4, was used in the experiments. Metacrylamide & poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate were used as the gelcasting monomers along with ammonium persulfate as initiator and tetramethylethlylenediamine as the catalyst. The exothermic gelation process was observed by continuously monitoring the temperature of the slurries. Gelation was found to take 2 to 20 minutes, depending on the amount and ratios of the gelating components. Sintering temperature from 1100degreesC to 1300degreesC and time from 30 to 120 minutes were investigated to optimize the microstructure and electrical properties of ceramics. Results of dielectric and piezoelectric measurements indicated that piezoelectric ceramics can be fabricated using gelcasting method with properties comparable to the ones fabricated with conventional techniques.