Determination of piezoelectric and pyroelectric coefficients and thermal diffusivity of 1-3 PZT/epoxy composites

PZT/epoxy composites with 1-3 connectivity were prepared using the dice-and-fill technique. The samples were poled with an electric field of 10 MV/m for 30 minutes at room temperature. The piezoelectric and pyroelectric coefficients for the composites were measured. From the laser interferometric measurements, it was found that the piezoelectric d(33) coefficients for the composites were independent of the volume fraction and averaged (190 +/- 10) pm/V, which was about half of the measured value of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic. Measurements of the pyroelectric coefficient showed that the coefficients increased with the ceramic content and reached values as large as 54 muC/m(2) degreesC. The thermal diffusivity of the composites was also determined using a technique based on the measurement of the phase retardation of a thermal wave passing through the material. The average value for the composites was (2.15 +/- 0.05) x 10(-7) m(2)/s.