Nanocrystalline powder and fibres of lead zirconate titanate prepared by the sol-gel process

Nanocrystalline powder and fibres of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) were prepared by the sol-gel process. The structural variation of the PZT powder with annealing temperature was studied by differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetry and x-ray diffraction. The lowest temperature for the formation of single-phase PZT nanocrystals in the powder was found to be 650 degrees C and the average crystallite diameter in the powder annealed at 650 degrees C was 35 nm. By controlling the concentration of the precursor, fibres of diameter 50-100 mu m were drawn from the gel. After annealing at 700 degrees C the crystallite size in these fibres was 0.3-0.5 mu m.