Effects of Pr doping on structural and dielectric properties of sol-gel prepared PZT (60/40) ceramics

Acetate alkoxide-derived solutions were prepared from precursors of high-purity analytical grade Pb(CH3COO)2 · 3H2O, (CH3COO)3Pr · XH2O, Zr(C3H7O)4, and Ti[(CH3)2CHO]4. The resulting solutions were oven-dried and light-greenish gel powders of PPZT were obtained. The powdered gels were also calcined and sintered. The formation and quality of the single-phase compound of PPZT were checked by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of sintered PPZT pellets were also obtained. Analysis of the XRD and dielectric measurements results revealed that all the examined compositions are crystallizing in the tetragonal structure, having the ferroelectric diffuse phase transition (DPT) in them.