Additive manufacturing of barium titanate-aluminum oxide piezoelectric ceramic composites using fused deposition modeling

Barium titanate (BT) is a key lead-free piezoelectric ceramic, but conventional forming methods limit its structural design freedom and performance regulation. This work proposes an additive manufacturing route for BT-Al 2 O 3 composites via fused deposition modeling (FDM) with a solution-based PVB/PEG feedstock. The process included filament extrusion, FDM printing, staged debinding, and sintering. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed homogeneous ceramic dispersion and interfacial compatibility, enabling complex architectures. Sintering temperature (1100–1300 ∘ C) and Al 2 O 3 particle size (1–100 µ m) significantly influenced microstructure and phase evolution, allowing the piezoelectric coefficient ( d 33 ) to be tuned from 14.3 to 96.1 pC/N. Optimized composites sintered at 1200 ∘ C with 10 µ m Al 2 O 3 exhibited a compressive strength of 4.16 ± 0.31 MPa and a flexural strength of 0.96 ± 0.23 MPa. A four-sensor-integrated component fabricated via FDM demonstrated the capability of monitoring impact areas. This work establishes a generalized AM strategy for BT-based ceramics with tunable piezoelectric and mechanical properties, offering significant potential for smart ceramic systems.