Low-temperature fabrication of Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 ceramics with LiBiO2 as a sintering aid

Low-temperature sintering of Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 was investigated using LiBiO2 (LBiO) as a sintering aid. LBiO-added PNN–PZT powders could be fully densified to 97% relative density at a temperature as low as 800 °C. An addition of LBiO was effective for improving the sinterability of PNN–PZT powders. However, LBiO was not useful to promote the grain growth. LBiO-added PNN–PZT bodies sintered at 800 and 1100 °C exhibited an electromechanical coupling factor, kp, of approximately 20 and 60%, respectively.