Phase formation and transitions in the lead nickel niobate–lead zirconate titanate system

Despite the many previous studies of the synthesis and characterization of several perovskite ferroelectric materials which have potential applications in electronic and medical diagnostic devices, the synthesis and phase formation of the whole series in the solid solution of (1 − x)Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3–xPb(Zr1/2Ti1/2)O3 (PNN–PZT) system has rarely been studied. In this work, the phase formation, morphology, particle size and chemical composition of perovskite powders in the (1 − x)PNN–xPZT system were investigated. Powders were prepared by a modified mixed-oxide synthesis route for various chemical compositions under different calcination temperatures. It is found that the perovskite phase undergoes a pseudo-cubic to tetragonal transition as composition changes. The degree of spherical shape and agglomeration were observed to increase with increasing PZT content.