Lead zirconate titanate stable stock solution: Characterization and applications

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films were prepared by the sol-gel proce ss using acetic acid and 1,2-propanediol as solvents. Acetone was used as f inal solvent and in this way a stable stock sol (for more than 12 months) w as obtained. The PZT sols prepared were reproducible and suitable for the p reparation of PZT thin films. To study the sol structure evolution gas chro matography mass spectrum (GC-MS) and Fourier-transform-infrared (FT-IR) spe ctra were recorded and analyzed on each step of the synthesis. The rheologi cal behavior and the stability of the stock sol were checked using a rheome ter. It is observed that the addition of acetone leads to a very stable sto ck sol. The preliminary investigation of the electric properties of the obt ained PZT thin films showed that the crystallized films deposited from a fr esh prepared sol and a 12 months aged sol exhibit similar ferroelectric pro perties and comparable to those reported in the literature.