This contribution explored the effects of ball milling time on properties of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) aqueous suspension. The particle size distribution, stability and rheological behavior of the suspension were studied by means of laser diffraction particle size analysis, sedimentation height and viscosity measurement, respectively. It was found that ball milling the suspension for 30 and 40 h provided an average particle size of less than I pm with a unimodal distribution. The sedimentation height measurement showed that the suspension stability was also improved. Further increasing the ball milling time to 50 h, however, resulted in a significant increase of average particle size. In addition, the size distribution exhibited a bimodal characteristic. A shear thinning behavior was observed for all suspensions. The effects of dispersant concentration were studied using a commercial aqueous solution of ammonium polyacrylate, Dispex A40. The optimum concentration was determined to be 0.6 wt% Dispex A40 based on a PZT powder dried weight basis.

Keywords: milling; tape casting; titanates; aqueous processing