Piezoceramic fibers and pearls derived by the polysulfone spinning process

Base of all piezocomposites are piezoceramic components such as powders, fibers, plates and more complex three-dimensional structures integrated into matrix materials. We developed the polysulfone spinning process as an appropriate technique to produce dense piezoceramic components with different geometries. Sintered PZT fibers cut to a length of 160 mm with diameters from 100-800 µm could be prepared by continuous spinning process and high solid concentration (PZT 5A) in the slurry. In addition, nearly spherical PZT samples were fabricated using a pulsed spinning process from low viscous slurries. The diameter of the so-called PZT pearls could be adjusted to 1-2 mm. Dielectric and electromechanical properties were measured on 1-3 piezocomposites. Application of customized PZT com ponents for smart structures and ultrasonic transducers will be shown.