Authors: Amal Shaji Karapuzha Nijesh Kunnamkuzhakkal James Sybrand van der Zwaag Wilhelm Albert Groen
Publish Date: 2016/05/27
Volume: 27, Issue: 9, Pages: 9683-9689
Abstract
Modern flexible and sensitive sensors based on polymer–ceramic composites employ lead zirconate titanate PZT granulates having the morphotropic phase boundary MPB composition as the piezo active ingredient as this composition gives the best properties in fully ceramic piezoelectric sensors In this study the possibility of using PZT granulates with compositions which are not in the MPB region of the PZT phase diagram was investigated Random 0–3 PZT–epoxy composites were prepared for the complete composition range of PZT ceramics PbZrxTi1−x099Nb001O3 with x ranging from x = 0 to x = 080 Piezoelectric and dielectric properties of such composites were systematically studied It is shown that the highest voltage sensitivity ie g33 of the piezoelectric composites is obtained for composition with much lower Zr levels x 01 than the MPB composition The shift in optimal composition is related to shift in dielectric constant of PZT as a function of the Zr concentrationThis work was financially supported by the Smartmix funding program Grant No SMVA06071 as part of the “Smart systems based on integrated Piezo” program The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical support provided by Dr I Katsouras of the MaxPlanck Institute for Polymer Research at Mainz for the hysteresis loop measurements
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