Preparation and characterization of PLZT ceramics using high-energy ball milling

Lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) powders with three compositions of PLZT8/65/35, PLZT15/65/35 and PLZT2/95/5 were prepared from their high-energy ball milling derived powders. The milled powders were characterized by XRD, SEM and particle size analysis. The sintering behavior of the milled powders was investigated by a dilatometer. PLZT ceramics were obtained by sintering the synthesized powders at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1200°C. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the PLZT ceramics were comparable to the results reported in the literature. These results have shown that the high-energy ball milling process is a promising method to prepare PLZT ceramics due to its simple processing compared with the conventional solid-state reaction and wet-chemistry based processes.