Niobium-doped lead zirconate titanate (PZT-Nb) thick films have been prepared by electrophoretic deposition from suspensions with different alcohol-based solvents, namely ethanol or mixtures of ethanol and 10 vol.% of a co-solvent: butanol or 2-butoxyethanol. The co-solvent addition results in a modification of the suspension's properties. As a consequence, under the same deposition conditions the rate of deposit formation changes for the suspensions with different solvents. The deposits show a homogeneous packing of the particles without any appreciable variation in their green density regardless of the variations in the deposition rate. Nevertheless, the deposits with a similar mass prepared from the different suspensions show distinct morphologies, some of them being considerably thicker at the edges than at the centre. The peculiarities in the thickness uniformity observed for the as-deposited layers are ascribed to changes in the resistivity of the deposits. After sintering, the thick films obtained from the different suspensions show particular microstructures which may be related to the morphology of the as-deposited layers. Dense films with a grain size of about 2-3 μm and an enhanced ferroelectric response were obtained from the suspension containing butanol.Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) based materials with composition near the morphotropic phase boundary are widely used for the fabrication of sensors, actuators and transducers because of their excellent piezoelectric properties. To miniaturize the devices these materials are patterned in the form of thick films. Such structures can be processed by an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method that is based on the mobility of electrically charged particles dispersed in a solvent toward an oppositely charged electrode as a result of an external electric field. The possibility of preparing different PZT coatings such as thick films on flat substrates 1-4 or on complex-shaped ones, 5,6 nanowires 7 or patterned structures 8,9 by EPD has already been reported in the literature. However, difficulties like particle agglomeration, an inappropriate morphology of the coatings or the formation of cracks during the drying or sintering are also frequently reported and require further optimization of the dispersions, the deposition process and the post-deposition procedures.In order to obtain PZT-based thick films with a homogeneous microstructure and a defined geometry, which are suitable for practical applications, the processing conditions have to be carefully controlled. The parameters affecting the EPD can be classified in those related to the particles and the suspensions and those related to the process including the physical parameters such as the electrical conductivity and the size of the electrodes, the electrical conditions, i.e.. the voltage/intensity relationship and the deposition mode (constant voltage, constant current, pulse mode, etc.), the deposition time, etc.. 10 As described by Hamaker, 11 the rate of deposit formation is directly proportional to ...