Piezoelectric multilayer ceramic/polymer composite transducer with 2-2 connectivity

A multilayer piezoelectric ceramic/polymer composite with 2-2 connectivity was fabricated by thermoplastic green machining after co-extrusion. The multilayer ceramic body was composed of piezoelectrically active lead zirconate titanate (PZN)-lead zinc niobate (PZN)-lead zirconate titanate (PZT) layers and electrically conducting PZN-PZT/Ag layers. After co-extruding the thermoplastic body, which consisted of five piezoelectric layers interspersed with four conducting layers, it was computer numeric-controlled machined to create periodic channels within it. Following binder burnout and sintering, an 18 vol% array of 190 μm thin PZT slabs with a channel size of 880 μm was fabricated. The channels were filled with epoxy in order to fabricate a PZN-PZT/epoxy composite with 2-2 connectivity. The piezoelectric coefficient (effective d ₃₃) and hydrostatic figure of merit (d _h×g _h) of the PZN-PZT/epoxy composite were 1200 pC/N and 20130 × 10 ^-15 m ²/N, respectively. These excellent piezoelectric characteristics as well as the relatively simple fabrication procedure will contribute in widening the application range of the piezoelectric transducers.