Effects of sintering process and Mn-doping on microstructure and piezoelectric properties of Pb((Zn1/3Nb2/3)0.20 (Zr0.47Ti0.53)0.80)O3 system

Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)0.20(Zr0.47Ti0.53)0.80O3 ceramics, with the addition of 0–1.0 wt% MnO2, were prepared by conventional mixed-oxide technique in a wide sintering temperature region from 1050 to 1200 °C. Microstructural and compositional analyses of these specimens have been carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The effects of MnO2 dopants and the sintering temperature on the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)0.20(Zr0.47Ti0.53)0.80O3 ceramics have been investigated. Compared to higher densified temperature of 1200 °C for undoped specimen, the specimens with the MnO2 doping content above 0.2 wt% have maximum density at 1100 °C sintering temperature. Simultaneously, the optimum piezoelectric properties were also obtained at 1100 °C for Mn-modified specimens. The values of electromechanical coupling factor, kp and dielectric loss, tan δ were optimized for 0.5 wt% MnO2 doped specimen (kp = 0.65, tan δ = 0.2%), while the mechanical quality factor, Qm was maximized for 1.0 wt% MnO2 doped samples (Qm = 1300). In other words, the optimum sintering condition was found.