Low-temperature sintering of (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 ceramics and thick-films

This paper reports low-temperature sintering methods for the (Ba_0.85Ca_0.15)(Zr_0.1Ti_0.9)O₃ (50BCZT) ceramics and thick-films. A commercial borosilicate glass and Li₂O have been investigated as sintering aids. Bulk ceramic samples with 1 wt% borosilicate glass and sintered at 1200°C exhibited d₃₃ and k_eff (effective electromechanical coupling coefficient) values of approximately 160 pC/N and 0.2 respectively, which were 35 % and 54 % of values measured on ceramic samples without glass addition and sintered at higher temperatures. Bulk ceramic samples with 0.6 wt% Li₂O addition and sintered at 1100°C exhibited d₃₃ and k_eff values of about 130 pC/N and 0.16 respectively. 50BCZT thick-films with 0.6 wt% Li₂O and sintered at 1100°C exhibited d₃₁ values of about 70 pC/N, which reached 77 % of counterparts without addition and sintered above 1400°C. This shows that the sintering temperature of 50BCZT can be reduced by more than 300°C, thus making it compatible with the use of Ag-Pd as a co-sintered electrode, which is more cost-effective than Pt.