Fabrication of piezoelectric ceramic fibers by extrusion of Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 powder and Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 sol mixture

In this study, Pb(Zr, Ti)O-3 (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic fibers were fabricated by extrusion from a mixture of PZT powder and PZT Sol. The added PZT Sol in this study played the role of a binder; the sol changed into crystalline PZT during sintering, and removal of additives before sintering was not required. To obtain the required PZT fibers, the Sol viscosity adjustment condition, the mixture ratio of powder and Sol for fiber extrusion, and the sintering condition for obtaining polycrystalline fibers were investigated. The PZT precursor solution was synthesized from lead acetate trihydrate, zirconium n-propoxide, and titanium isopropoxide by reflux at 120degreesC for 3 h with 2-methoxyethanol. The appropriate adjustment of the spinnable Sol was achieved by the addition of acetic acid to suppress the hydrolysis reaction and by curing the Sol at 80degreesC to promote the condensation of the Sol. Green fibers with diameters of about 300 mum were successfully extruded from the mixture of PZT powder and Sol (powder:sol = 5-8:1, molar ratio). The extruded fibers, sintered at 1200 degreesC, had a microstructure with 2-6 mum grains and had no pores or cracks. From the results of displacement behavior measurements, the PZT fibers fabricated by firing at 1200degreesC in this study were considered to have the desired piezoelectric properties.