Effect of milling time and pH on the dispersibility of lead zirconate titanate in aqueous media for inkjet printing

Micrometre-sized Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 (PZT) powder was dispersed in water, stabilized with the ammonium polyacrylate (PAANH4) and milled to reduce the particle size. The influence of the pH, the amount of PAANH4, and the milling time on the zeta potential, the PZT particle size and the particle size distribution was studied. The agglomeration took place regardless the milling time at pH 3. The suspension, containing 5 vol.% of PZT and 5 wt.% of PAANH4, milled at pH 10 for 240 min, was stable and contained particles with a narrow, log-normal particle size distribution with the median size of 160 nm. The dissociated carboxyl groups from the PAANH4 interacted with the PZT particles as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and electrosterically stabilized the particles in water at pH 10. The PZT particle size and the stability of the suspension fitted the requirements for the ink, suitable for ink-jet printing.