Preparation, structural, electrical, and ferroelectric properties of solid and lead zirconium titanate ink

The novelty of the work lies in the design and development of a significantly low-cost lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ink similar in its electrical properties to its original solid materials, which can be used for 3-D printing to print electronic circuits, shape memory, and devices quickly. The Zr/Ti=52/48 ratio was achieved during the solid-state reaction to create the PZT powder. XRD, FT-IR, and SEM characterized the synthesized material. The PZT powder was found to form in a tetragonal phase. The PZT powder was used to prepare PZT ink with a 13 % Wt/Wt solid content composition. The ink's rheological characteristics and physical properties, such as particle size distribution, surface tension, viscosity, and electrical properties, were studied. Dielectric properties like dielectric constant (epsilon(/)) and dielectric loss (epsilon") indicate the poly-dispersive nature of the material. The temperature-dependent dielectric constant (epsilon(/)) curve indicates relaxor behavior with a maximum at high temperatures. The poly-dispersive nature of the material was analyzed using Cole-Cole plots. The frequency dependence of AC conductivity follows the universal power law. The temperature dependence of dc-conductivity follows the Arrhenius law, with an activation energy of 0.14 eV at lower temperatures and 0.85 eV at higher temperatures. The electrical conductance study showed that PZT ceramic can be used in electronic circuits because of its high resistivity value and small temperature coefficient of resistance. The piezoelectric measurement displays d33 as 129 pC/N at room temperature.