Abstract
Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 (PZT) ceramics having different microstructures were fabricated at low temperatures using calcined PZT powders with addition of excess PbO powder and/or ball milling. The effects of excess PbO and ball milling time on the microstructure, the sintering characteristic, and the mechanical properties of these ceramics were studied. Fine powders with average particle size of 0.38㎛ could be obtained by ball milling with 2.5 mm Ф zirconia balls for 120 hours. By the addition of 2mol% of excess PbO to these powders, it was possible to obtain well-densitified PZT ceramics at low sintering temperature of 980℃. Densification behavior of PZT was affected by the addition of excess PbO powder, while, grain growth was hardly affected by PbO addition. It was observed that Vicker's hardness decreased and fracture toughness increased with the increasing amount of PbO. At 1mol% excess PbO, it was shown that the minimum values of hardness and maximum fracture toughness were achieved. In addition, with increasing sintering time, the fracture toughness decreased and the hardness increased.
