Fabrication of lead zirconate titanate ceramic fibers by gelation of sodium alginate

A novel ceramic fiber processing method by gelation of Na-alginate, a natural innoxious polymer, is reported. The ion exchange reaction between Na and Ca, and associated gelation process is utilized to fabricate lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramic fibers using a Na-alginate based ceramic suspension. Effects of solid loading, viscosity of the starting sodium alginate and its amount in the slurry, and the chelator content were investigated as main parameters in obtaining uniform, dense fibers. Slurries with 64 wt% solid loading containing 1.0-1.5 wt% low or 0.5 wt% medium viscosity Na-alginate and 0.25-1.0 wt% chelator resulted in dense fibers with uniform shapes and dimensions. Electrical measurements taken from pellets prepared from reprocessed slurry and fibers indicate a decrease in the properties with increasing Na-alginate content of the slurry. However, the dielectric constant and piezoelectric charge coefficient values prove that this is a viable process to produce piezoelectric ceramic fibers. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.