Preparation and characterization of PLZT ceramics using high-energy ball milling

Lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) powders with three compositions of PLZT8/65/35, PLZT15/65/35 and PLZT2/95/5 were prepared from their high-energy ball milling derived powders. The milled powders were characterized by XRD, SEM and particle size analysis. The sintering behavior of the milled powders was investigated by a dilatometer. PLZT ceramics were obtained by sintering the synthesized powders at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1200 degreesC. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the PLZT ceramics were comparable to the results reported in the literature. These results have shown that the high-energy ball milling process is a promising method to prepare PLZT ceramics due to its simple processing compared with the conventional solid-state reaction and wet-chemistry based processes. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.