Synthesis and characterization of sol–gel derived Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.9Zr0.1O₃−xCuO ceramics

Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 3 powders were synthesized by sol–gel processing and Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 3 − x CuO piezoelectric ceramics were prepared using the as‐prepared powders. Microstructures and electric properties of the ceramics were studied, especially, the effects of CuO additive on the sintering characteristics and electric properties. Both the performance and the sintering behaviour of BCTZ ceramics are improved by using as‐prepared Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 3 powders and CuO as a sintering aid. BCTZ ceramic with 1.5 mol% CuO exhibits good electric properties: ε r ∼ 5338 (10 kHz), tan δ ∼ 0.014 (10 kHz), d 33 ∼ 670 pC N −1 and k p ∼ 57.8% at room temperature.