Composites of 0.3Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.7Pb(Zr _0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ prepared by a sol-gel method

Lead magnesium niobate (PMN)-lead zirconium titanate (PZT) electroceramic composites have been fabricated from PMN powder+PZT powder (P-P processing) and PMN powder+PZT solution (P-S processing) using a sol-gel process. The particle sizes of PMN-PZT powder prepared by P-S processing were more than three times greater (> 1 μm) in comparison with that of P-P processed powder which was 0.3 μm. The grain size, density, and relative permittivity of PMN-PZT ceramics prepared by P-S processing were larger than those of P-P processed samples. The specimen sintered at 1230°C by P-P processing exhibited similar properties to the specimen sintered at 1170°C by P-S processing. Ceramics prepared from a PMN core enclosed in a PZT shell using a polymerized solution mixed at molecular level (powder+solution processing) showed better structural and dielectric properties compared to samples processed with mixed sol-gel powders.