Electrical properties and sensing ability of novel piezoelectric ceramic fibers with Pt core

The traditional sintering method was used to sinter the pure and Fe2O3 doped 0.55Pb(Ni0.33Nb0.67)O3-0.45Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3(abbreviate as PNN-PZT and PFNN-PZT, respectively) ceramics. The addition of Fe2O3significantly improved the microstructure and electrical properties. Compared with pure PNN-PZT ceramics, higher dielectric and piezoelectric properties of d31~-390 pC/N, r~6298 were obtained for the PFNN-PZT sample sintered at 1175°C for 2 h. Hence, the PFNN-PZT ceramics sample was selected to fabricate piezoelectric ceramic fibers with Pt core (PFC). Both the green fibers and bulk ceramics were sintered at 1150-1225°C for 2 h in a closed crucible, respectively. The effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and electrical properties of the PFNN-PZT fibers was investigated. The optimal piezoelectric properties are obtained for the sample sintered at 1175°C for 2 h. The relative dielectric constant and piezoelectric constant show peak values of r~3683, d31~-197.4 pC/N, respectively. The PFC is a new type piezoelectric device, which can be used for sensors or actuators. The results of sensing experiment show that the piezoelectric ceramic fiber with Pt core has high sensitivity for the Lamb waves.