Lead Zirconate Titanate Fiber/Polymer Composites Prepared by a Replication Process

The woven replication process was used to fabricate lead zirconate titanate (PZT)/polymer composites with 1–3, 2–3, and 3–3 connectivities by starting with novoloid-derived carbon fiber, woven fabric, and nonwoven felt templates, respectively. Activated carbon-fiber template material was impregnated with PZT by soaking it in a solution containing stoichiometric amounts of dissolved lead, zirconium, titanium, and niobium ions. Heat treatment burned out the carbon, leaving a PZT replica with the same form as the template material. Replicas were sintered in a controlled atmosphere and backfilled with an epoxy polymer to form final composites. This method, which is believed to be adaptable for mass production, is capable of producing composites with extremely fine microstructures. Woven composite samples have fiber tow diameters of 200 to 250 μm and spacings between tows of about 150 to 250 μm. Average d ₃₃= 90 pC/N, g ₃₃= 211 mV · m/N, and d_hg_h hydrophone figure of merit of 2100 × 10⁻¹⁵ m²/N values are reported for woven PZT/polymer composites.