Structural studies and electrical properties of PZT (52/48) electroceramics synthesized by sol–gel route

The effect of temperature on perovskite Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 )O 3 ceramic material on their dielectric, impedance and dc conductivity properties were studied. Structural, phase formation and thermal properties were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis. The electrical properties of the ceramics were investigated as a function of both temperature (from 25 to 500 °C) and frequency (from 100 Hz to 1 MHz) using complex impedance spectroscopy. The activation energy of the sample was calculated from the slope of the Arrhenius plot as 0.210 eV (dc conductivity vs. inverse of absolute temperature). From the ferroelectric loop measured at room temperature, the remnant polarization (P r ) and coercive electric fields (E c ) are observed as 1.59 μC/cm 2 and 9.35 kV/cm, respectively.