Selection of piezoelectric powders for 0-3 piezoceramic-polymer composites

Previous studies on 0-3 piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites have emphasised the significance of the resistivity balance between the two constituent phases, in order to facilitate poling of the ferroelectric ceramic particles. Most of these investigations have employed lead titanate-based ceramics, with an inherent high coercive field, which necessitates the use of high fields for poling. The present study evaluates various ceramic powders for use in 0-3 composites, the main aim being to enable the use of lower poling voltages by the identification of suitable low-coercivity materials.