CURIE-TEMPERATURE ANOMALY IN LEAD-ZIRCONATE-TITANATE SILVER COMPOSITES

The Curie temperatures of lead zirconate titanate-based (PZT-based) co mposites that were incorporated with silver particles were evaluated a s a function of the silver content. Although the substitution of the s ilver ion has been considered to decrease the Curie temperature, PZT/s ilver composites exhibited higher Curie temperatures than those of mon olithic PZT ceramics. It was found that the Curie temperature graduall y increased as the silver content increased. It was suggested that the observed Curie temperature anomaly resulted from the relaxation of tr ansformation-induced internal stress by intergranular silver particles .