Enhanced piezoelectric property of porous lead zirconate titanate ceramics with one dimensional ordered pore structure

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics with one dimensional ordered pore structure (1–3 type porous PZT ceramics) were fabricated in this study. The special structure not only enhanced the piezoelectric and dielectric properties effectively but also further decreased the acoustic impedance. All samples exhibited excellent piezoelectric properties despite high porosities. The d33 value was 608 pC /N (remained 88% that of dense PZT) when the porosity was up to 68.7%. The d33 value was 690 pC /N (same as dense PZT) when the porosity was 41.7%. The lowest acoustic impedance (Z) reached 1.3 MRayls. These results are promising for improving performance in hydrophones applications.