CuO added Pb_0.92Sr_0.06Ba_0.02(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.25(Ti_0.53Zr_0.47)_0.75O₃ ceramics sintered with Ag electrodes at 900 °C for multilayer piezoelectric actuator

CuO added Pb_0.92Sr_0.06Ba_0.02(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.25(Ti_0.53Zr_0.47)_0.75O₃ ceramics were studied to prepare high-quality multilayer piezoelectric actuators with pure Ag electrodes at 900°C. CuO addition not only reduced the sintering temperature significantly from 1260°C to 900 °C but also improved the ceramic density to 7.742 g/cm³. The 0.7 wt.% CuO added ceramic sintered at 900 °C shows the remnant polarization ( P _r) of 40 µC/cm², 0.28% strain at 40 kV/cm, and the piezoelectric coefficient ( d ₃₃) of 630 pC/N. This ceramic shows a strong relaxor characteristic with a Curie temperature of 200 °C. Furthermore, the 0.7 wt.% CuO added ceramic and pure Ag electrodes were co-fired at 900 °C to prepare a high-quality multilayer piezoelectric actuator with a d ₃₃ of over 450 pC/N per ceramic layer. (paper)