Effect of particle size on the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of 0–3BCTZO/cement composites

0–3 Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.9Zr0.1O3 (BCTZO)–cement composites were prepared by normal mixing and pressing of Ordinary Portland cement and BCTZO particles with average sizes of 569.8 and 8.9 μm. Three different composites were prepared with BCTZO to cement ratios of 30%, 50%, and 70% by volume. The effect of BCTZO particle size on the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of cement based 0–3 piezoelectric composites was investigated. The dielectric constant increases with both increasing BCTZO particle content and increasing BCTZO particle size. The piezoelectric properties were found to increase with the increasing BCTZO particle content and decreasing BCTZO particle size. It was found that a 70% BCTZO composite with an average particle size of 8.9 μm produced good dielectric constant, tan δ and piezoelectric properties of 107, 0.09 and 52 pC/N, respectively.