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Self-separated PZT thick films with bulk-like piezoelectric and electromechanical properties

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Abstract

Self-separated Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) films were processed by a hydrothermal deposition and a rapid thermal separation method, followed by a sol–gel filling and sintering process. The films possess excellent piezoelectric and electromechanical properties close to those of bulk material. The maximum remnant polarization is over 30 μC/cm2 and the electromechanical coupling factor (kt) reaches as high as 0.52. The unique microstructure characteristics of the PZT films, such as their highly dense structure, columnar grains, well-connected grain boundaries, and well-dispersed nanopores, could all contribute to the enhanced piezoelectric and electromechanical properties.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The research effort at Texas A&M University was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF-1007969 and NSF-0846504). The effort at Los Alamos National Laboratory was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences user facility. The effort at University of Southern California was partially supported by National Institutes of Health P41-EB2182. BHP was partially supported by the World Class University program through the National Research Foundation funded by Ministry Of Education, Science and Technology (Grant No. R31-2008-000-10057-0).

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Correspondence to Qifa Zhou, Quanxi Jia or Haiyan Wang.

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Su, Q., Zhu, B., Lee, J.H. et al. Self-separated PZT thick films with bulk-like piezoelectric and electromechanical properties. Journal of Materials Research 26, 1431–1435 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2011.115

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2011.115

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