We report on the successful aqueous processing of a lead free piezoelectric 0.5Ba(Zr 0 2 Ti 0 8 )O 3 0.5(Ba 0 7 Ca 0 3 )TiO 3 (BZT BCT) composition with the final functional properties of the materials unaffected by the various processing steps involved. X-ray diffraction results show a single tetragonal perovskite crystalline phase for the as-received sintered BZT BCT powder. The purity of the perovskite phase for BZT BCT powder was found to be controlled even after ageing the material in water for 24 h as a successful surface treatment against hydrolysis. An aqueous suspension of surface treated BZT BCT powder with 50 vol% solid loading was successfully transformed into micro-sized granules via a freeze granulation (FG) method. Various structural, electrical and mechanical properties of sintered BZT BCT-FG and BZT BCT-NG ceramics consolidated from freeze granulated and non-granulated (NG) powders, respectively, were measured. The dielectric constant (3 r ) values of the BZT BCT-FG sample were found to be higher, with lower dielectric loss (tan d) values in comparison with those of a sample prepared from the BZT BCT-NG powder at all temperatures and with all frequency ranges tested.Nanoindentation results revealed that the ability to oppose deformation was nearly 10-fold higher for BZT BCT-FG (6.93 GPa) than for BZT BCT-NG ceramics (543 MPa). The functional properties of BZT BCT-FG samples confirmed the benefits of the aqueous processing approach in comparison with traditional dry pressing.
A IntroductionSuccessful aqueous processing of multicomponent electroceramics relies on their various functional properties being unaffected by the chance of there being ionic leaching in water. There have been recent reports in the literature on the sintering behavior of BZT-BCT material showing dielectric properties at various sintering temperatures.8 11 Depending on a material's functional applications, it is necessary to control its structural and compositional evolution to achieve superior properties. Furthermore, the materials need to be consolidated in bulk (polycrystalline ceramics, single crystals) or in lm (thick and thin) form to draw benets from their relevant properties. A reduction in dimension of all passive components without compromising performance, and improved reliability are desirable in electronics technology.To date, non-aqueous processing of electroceramics is preferred because of the common water sensitiveness of the starting powders and the consequent leaching of material components, which affects the nal product functional properties and oen results in exaggerated grain growth and low nal density.12,13 The reason for the detrimental effects of water is believed to be the instability of alkaline-earth titanates in water, which were rst observed experimentally in calcium titanate (CaTiO 3 ).14 However, aqueous processing is attractive from both environmental and economical standpoints. The knowledge acquired with aqueous processing of other water sensitive powders such as magnesium aluminate (M...