Single-crystal-like materials by the self-assembly of cube-shaped lead zirconate titanate (PZT) microcrystals

We demonstrated the formation of single-crystal-like materials that contain preferentially oriented arrays of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) cube-shaped particles by self-assembly. Hydrothermally synthesized PZT particles with a bulk composition of Zr/Ti = 70/30 were used in making microcrystal arrays. Spreading a suspension containing PZT cube-shaped particles, 2-propanol, and mineral oil at the air-water interface produced a one-dimensional planar array of PZT particles on the water surface. The array so formed was subsequently transferred onto a flat or curved substrate. X-ray diffraction and electron backscattered diffraction analyses revealed that most of the cube-shaped particles in the array were oriented with their pseudocubic (001) direction aligned parallel to the normal direction of the substrate surface. Filling the arrays with matrixes produced monolayer or multilayer textured composites. The piezoelectric properties of oriented cube-shaped micron-sized particles in the self-assembled arrays were measured using a modified atomic force microscope to reveal the ferroelectric nature of the PZT arrays.