Fatigue responses of lead zirconate titanate stacks under semibipolar electric cycling with mechanical preload

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stacks that have an interdigital internal electrode configuration are tested and significant reductions in piezoelectric and dielectric responses are observed during the cycling depending on the measuring condition. The results have shown the feasibility of using a semibipolar mode to drive a PZT stack under a mechanical preload and also display the potential fatigue and damages of the stack in service.