Preparation of PMN-PT ceramics via a high-energy ball milling process

Pyrochlore-free nano-sized (1-x)PMN-xPT (x=0, 0.10, 0.35) (PMN-PT) powders were synthesized from a mixture of the commercial oxides PbO, MgO, TiO2 and Nb2O5 by a high-energy ball milling process. The grain size estimated from XRD patterns for the three samples was about 10-30 nm. The high sinterability of the synthesized PMN and PMN-PT powders was evidenced by the fact that almost fully dense ceramics for the three systems could be readily achieved at temperatures as low as 950degreesC. The relationship between microstructure, electrical properties of the PMN and PMN-PT ceramics and sintering temperature was investigated. The dielectric properties of 0.90PMN-0.10PT are comparable to those of the traditional ceramic samples, while 0.65PMN-0.35PT has a better higher dielectric constant than those of traditional ceramics after sintering at 1100degreesC for 1 h. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.