Effect of powder characteristics on densification of PZT ceramics.

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic powders were processed following the reactive calcination method from zirconium titanate and PbO. PZT ceramic po wders with the morphotropic phase boundary composition were prepared by thr ee different calcination processes. The so obtained ceramic powders have di fferent porosity distribution with average particle size of similar to 0.3 mu m. It was found that the porosity distribution related to the synthesis process affects the densification of the ceramic. The density loss of PZT a t high temperatures is linearly related to the PbO losses and the pore area of the starting powders.