ELECTRICALLY INDUCED MICROCRACKING IN MODIFIED PZT CERAMICS

Electrically induced microcracking was investigated in a modified tetragonal PZT ceramics as a function of average grain-size and tetragonality (c/a). Microcracks were observed after poling in coarse-grained ceramics, though coarse grained samples had smaller tetragonality. That is, the dependence of microcracking, which was caused by the elastic strain energy resulting from dipole alignment during poling, on grain size was larger than that on tetragonality. These microcracks deteriorated dielectric and piezoelectric properties. © 1991, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.