THE EFFECT OF SINTERING CONDITIONS ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 CERAMIC

Lead zirconatetitanate Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O-3, (PZT) from a mixture of commercial PbO, TiO2 and ZrO2 powders was successfully prepared using a planetary ball mill. The microstructure and electrical properties of PZT ceramic were found to be highly sensitive to the sintering condition. The influence of microstructure and electrical properties on the sintering condition of the samples was studied. SEM analysis indicated that a shorter sintering time with higher sintering temperature promotes fine structure and densification. This was proves where the relative density of the sintered PZT ceramics obtained was measured to be approximately 99% of the theoretical density. The electrical properties of the ceramic sintered at a higher temperature with a different sintering time were measured at high frequencies. The result revealed that different sintering conditions have a big impact on electrical behavior in a broad frequency region.