Low‐Temperature Sintering of Lead Zinc Niobate–Lead Zirconate Titanate Ceramics Using Nano‐Sized Powder Prepared by the Stirred Media Milling Process

Lead zinc niobate–lead zirconate titanate (PZN–PZT) nano‐sized powders with a diameter of ∼35 nm were fabricated by a high‐energy stirred media mill using 50 μm diameter zirconia beads as the milling media at a rotation speed of 4000 rpm for 1 h. The sintering temperature of PZN–PZT was greatly reduced, and a fully densified bulk body was obtained at only 750°C when stirred media milled nanopowder was used. The control of evaporation of lead oxide was very important to obtain high electrical properties due to the increased surface area of nano‐sized powders. The ferroelectric hysteresis, piezoelectric d 33 coefficient, and dielectric properties of sintered ceramics using nanopowder were measured and compared with the values obtained from a sintered specimen using conventional milled powders. Remanent polarization, d 33 coefficient, and relative dielectric constant of 750°C sintered stirred media milled powders containing 2% of excess PbO and 1% of 4PbO–B 2 O 3 liquid phase were 10.3 μC/cm 2 , 277 pC/N, and 1310, respectively.