Comparative study of transport properties relevant to a textured sol-gel PZT coating on Ni substrate

Abstract

Abstract. In this work, the preparation of PbZr052Ti0.4803 (PZT) thin films for piezoelectric applications on untextured and (200) textured nickel foil substrates is reported. Transport properties of the nickel substrate relevant to the sintering of PZT and their interaction with PZT are also reported in this paper. Sols of PZT were prepared and used to deposit films of thickness between 150-1000 nm by dip coating. PZT could be sintered to full density at < 750 ~ in air. Catastrophic oxidation of the Ni substrate could be avoided either by pre oxidising a textured Ni foil or by the use of un-oxidised textured Ni foil. The PZT film obtained was also textured while the amount of nickel oxide formed was negligible and could not be detected by field emission electron microscopy, and barely detectable by X-ray diffraction. The films thus produced show a step forward in developing piezoelectric devices using more economic routes.