Effect of calcium on the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of Sm-modified PbTiO3 ceramics

In this paper, effects of calcium dopants on the piezoelectric and dielectr ic properties of Sm-modified lead titanate (PbTiO3) ceramics have been inve stigated. Sm-modified PbTiO3 ceramics with a composition of (Pb0.88-xCaxSm0 .08)(Ti0.98Mn0.02)O-3; x = 0.11-0.17 were prepared by conventional mixed-ox ide methods with sintering temperature at 1200 degreesC. We successfully sh owed that Ca additive is helpful to obtain much higher thickness electromec hanical coupling coefficient, k(t) (> 0.57), than that of conventional PbTi O3 based ceramics and still keep small planar electromechanical coupling co efficient, k(p). Microstructural and compositional analyses of these doped ceramics have been carried out using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scannin g electron microscope (SEM). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese rved.