Study on PZT piezoelectric sensor material development with addition of SiO_² by using solid state reaction

PbZr_1/2Ti_1/2O₃ (PZT) piezoelectric material is a widely applied today for both sensors and actuators, such as ultrasonographic probe, non-destructive testing or low-power electricity generator. The study on the development and applications of PZT which intensively conduct on modern reactors as a means of inspection, maintenance and security systems. Development of the material itself becomes very important to improve performance in various applications. In this study, the synthesis process has been done to obtain the Morpho tropic Phase Boundary (MPB) composition with two-phases a perovskite structure on PZT. Synthesis process was conducted by solid state reaction method by mixing the base material and SiO₂ stoichiometrically, ground for 4 hours, pelleted with pressure of 3000 psi, and then sintered at 950 °C for 4 hours. The SiO₂-doped PZT was analyzed by using X-Ray Diffractometer. The results showed that the crystal structure changes from tetragonal to rhombohedral which indicated MPB region around the addition of SiO₂ from 0.05 to 0.125 mol. Particle size by SEM becomes smaller with the addition of SiO₂. (author)