Low‐Temperature Sintering of Pb(Zr,Ti)O ₃ Ceramics with the Aid of Oxyfluoride Additive: X‐ray Diffraction and Dielectric Studies

Low‐temperature sintering of Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 (PZT) ceramics has been performed with the aid of oxyfluoride additives in order to compensate the volatilization of PbO, which results in the degradation of electric properties. An additive of a mixture of PbO and PbF 2 (eutectic composition) realizes a liquid‐phase sintering and allows high densification at low temperature. The densification of more than 98% of theoretical density was achieved by sintering at 900°C. The characterization of these PZT ceramics was carried out with XRD, TG, SEM, and dielectric measurements. The thermal variation of dielectric constant showed ferroelectric behavior. The highest permittivity value was obtained in the specimen fired at 900°C for 3 or 5 h with 3 wt% additive.