Low temperature fabrication of sol-gel PZT thin films and structural characterisation of C60 precipitates formed in PZT-C60 sol

AbstractLead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films were prepared at 400°C, in air by using PZT solutions containing C60, toluene, and acetic acid. All these additives provided well-developed perovskite PZT crystals, and the formation of pyrochlore crystals was suppressed. The 〈100〉 preferred orientation of perovskite PZT crystals was found to develop in the PZT thin films fabricated by using the solutions mixed with acetic acid. Needlelike and wirelike crystals of C60 were observed to precipitate in a PZT solution containing C60. The dielectric constant er and the dielectric loss tan δ of a C60 doped PZT multilayer film prepared at 400°C were measured to be ∼ 200 and ∼ 3%, respectively, for a frequency range of 500–20 000 Hz. The present low temperature sol–gel processing is expected to be utilised as a method of intermediate heat treatment for the fabrication of thick multilayer PZT films for microactuators and sensors.