Preparation of PbNi1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3-PbZrO3 ceramic multilayer actuator with silver internal electrodes

A multilayer actuator made of PbNi1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3-PbZrO3 (PNiNb-PT-PZ) ceramic with silver internal electrodes was successfully fabricated by sintering at 900 degreesC. We investigated the influence of the excess lead oxide (PbO) content on the sinterability of the PNiNb-PT-PZ ceramic. A liquid phase was formed by adding excess PbO, and this promoted the sintering of the ceramic. The sintering temperature decreased to around 900 degreesC with I mol% of excess PbO. The multilayer actuator was fabricated by co-firing the PbO-rich PNiNb-PT-PZ ceramic and the silver internal electrodes. The displacement of this actuator was the same as that of an actuator using a stoichiometric ceramic powder with silver-palladium alloy electrodes sintered at 1050 degreesC. The displacement of the actuator with silver electrodes did not decrease after it had been driven for 9.65 days in an environment at 40 degreesC with a humidity of 90%. The PNiNb-PT-PZ ceramic is thus promising as a piezoelectric material for low-temperature sintering applications. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.