PZT ceramics fabricated based on stereolithography for an ultrasound transducer array application.

Abstract The PZT ceramics with different weight content from 78% to 89% were printed using the stereolithography method. The piezoelectric properties as well as the microstructure of the ceramics were investigated in detail. X-ray patterns and Raman spectra demonstrate that the steady PZT tetragonal phase has already formed in these sintered ceramics. Besides, the piezoelectric constant and dielectric constant were 212–345 pC/N and 760–1390, which were sligthly lower than that of the dry pressing disk. Furthermore, a two-dimensional ultrasound transducer array (8 × 8) was designed and developed to evaluate the properties of the 3D-printed PZT ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]