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Concept
Lead zirconate titanate
Summary
Lead zirconate titanate, also called lead zirconium titanate and commonly abbreviated as PZT, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula It is a ceramic perovskite material that shows a marked piezoelectric effect, meaning that the compound changes shape when an electric field is applied. It is used in a number of practical applications such as ultrasonic transducers and piezoelectric resonators. It is a white to off-white solid.
Lead zirconium titanate was first developed around 1952 at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Compared to barium titanate, a previously discovered metallic-oxide-based piezoelectric material, lead zirconium titanate exhibits greater sensitivity and has a higher operating temperature. Piezoelectric ceramics are chosen for applications because of their physical strength, chemical inertness and their relatively low manufacturing cost. PZT ceramic is the most commonly used piezoelectric ceramic because it has an even greater sensitivity and higher operating temperature than other piezoceramics. Recently, there has been a large push towards finding alternatives to PZT due to legislations in many countries restricting the use of lead alloys and compounds in commercial products.
Being piezoelectric, lead zirconate titanate develops a voltage (or potential difference) across two of its faces when compressed (useful for sensor applications), and physically changes shape when an external electric field is applied (useful for actuator applications). The relative permittivity of lead zirconate titanate can range from 300 to 20000, depending upon orientation and doping.
Being pyroelectric, this material develops a voltage difference across two of its faces under changing temperature conditions; consequently, lead zirconate titanate can be used as a heat sensor. Lead zirconate titanate is also ferroelectric, which means that it has a spontaneous electric polarization (electric dipole) that can be reversed in the presence of an electric field.
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