SOL-GEL PROCESSING OF PBTIO3 AND PB(ZR(0.52)TI(0.48))O3 FIBERS

Homogeneous and stoichiometric PbTiO3 and PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 gel fibers were drawn from viscous solutions prepared by sol-gel processing of alkoxide precursors. The fibrous gels on heating at 450 and 600-degrees-C, respectively, formed the well-crystallized phases of PbTiO3 and PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3. Fibers heat treated at 700-degrees-C are a few centimeters long and 50 to 150-mu-m in diameter. PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 fibers subjected to heat treatment at 700-degrees-C for 1 h consisted of fully dense submicron grains (0.15 to 0.2-mu-m). However, PbTiO3 fibers under analogous conditions showed a few micropores with grains of approximately 0.1-mu-m. Dielectric constants of these PbTiO3 and PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 fibers were approximately 300 and 800, respectively.