Aqueous tape casting of the 0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.3PbTiO3 ceramic films: Production optimization and properties

The 0.7Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.3PbTiO₃ ceramic films were prepared using the water-based tape casting method. Two main components of the slurry are water and solids. The concentrations of other chemicals, the surfactant and binder, are at the level of 1 wt.%. Both binder and surfactant are eco-friendly polymers. Additional chemicals are not required. The optimal concentration of surfactant determined through viscosity measurements. The density of the ceramics was studied as a function of the concentration of water and binder. The density is nearly independent of amount of water despite a wide range of values of concentration. This independence is a powerful tool to cast using different techniques. The density substantially depends only on binder concentration. The polymers removal protocol of the cast films was optimized using thermogravimetric analysis. As a result, the translucent ceramic films with a relative density of 98% and thickness of 70 μm were prepared. The permittivity, remnant polarization and pyrocurrent measurements, along with the scanning electron microscopy, prove the high density of the ceramics.