General Description
PI Ceramic offers a wide selection of piezoelectric ceramics & piezo materials based on modified lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and barium titanate, tailor-made for diverse applications. Apart from the standard types described in detail below, we can perform a multitude of application-specific and custom-engineered modifications.
PIC piezoelectric ceramics materials compare favorably with the best materials internationally available today. The properties are specified according to the EN 50324 European Standard. On an international basis, it is usual to divide piezo ceramics into two groups. The antonyms “soft” and “hard” piezoelectric ceramics refer to the ferroelectric properties, i.e. the mobility of the dipoles or domains and hence also to the polarization / depolarization behavior. “Soft” piezo ceramics are characterized by a comparitively high domain mobility and a resulting “ferroelectrically soft” behavior, i.e. relatively easy polarization.
In contrast, ferroelectrically “hard” PZT materials can be subjected to high electrical and mechanical stresses. The stability of their properties destines them for high-power applications.
"Soft" PZT
| Material designation |
General description of the material properties | Classification in accordance with EN 50324-1 | as an alternative to DOD-STD-1376A |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIC 151 | PIC 151 is a modified lead zirconate - lead titanate piezoelectric ceramics material with high
permittivity, high coupling factor and high piezoelectric charge
constant. This material is the standard material for actuators
(PICATM Series) and suitable for low-power ultrasonic transducers and
low-frequency sound transducers. |
600 | II |
| PIC 255 | PIC 255 is a modified piezoelectric ceramics material with extremely high Curie
temperature, high permittivity, high coupling factor and high charge
constant. The material has been optimized for actuator applications
under dynamic conditions and high ambient
temperatures. The high coupling factor, low mechanical quality factor
and low temperature coefficient make this material particularly
suitable for low-power ultrasonic transducers, nonresonant
broadband systems, and for force and acoustic pickups. |
200 | II |
| PIC 155 | PIC 155 is a modification of the PIC 255 piezoelectric ceramics material distinguished by
high piezoelectric stress coefficients and lower frequency constants.
It is used in applications where a high g-constant is required, such as
in microphones and vibration pickups with preamplifier. |
200 | II |
| PIC 153 | PIC 153 is a modified lead zirconate - lead titanate piezoelectric ceramics material with
extremely high permittivity and coupling factors, a
high charge constant, and a Curie temperature of around 185 °C.
This material is suitable for hydrophones, transducers in medical
diagnostics and PZT translators. |
600 | VI |
| PIC 152 | PIC 152 is a PZT material whose permittivity has an especially low
temperature coefficient. |
200 | II |
"Hard" PZT
| Material designation |
General description of the material properties | Classification in accordance with EN 50324-1 | as an alternative to DOD-STD-1376A |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIC 181 | PIC 181 is a modified lead zirconate - lead titanate material with an extremely high mechanical quality factor and a high Curie temperature. This material is destined for the use in high-power acoustic applications. Furthermore, the good temperature and time stability of its dielectric and elasticity constants makes it suitable for resonance-mode ultrasonic applications and it has proved to be particularly successful in piezomotor drives. |
100 | I |
| PIC 141 | PIC 141 is a modified piezoelectric ceramics material with high a mechanical quality factor and a comparatively moderate permittivity. This material is designed for use in high-power acoustic applications and is also used for pharmaceutical atomizers. |
100 | I |
| PIC 241 | PIC 241 PZT ceramic is distinguished by its high mechanical quality factor and comparatively high permittivity. Its fields of application lie in high-power ultrasonic devices and it is used for piezomotor drives. |
100 | I |
| PIC 300 | PIC 300 is a modified lead zirconate - lead titanate material with a very high Curie temperature. It is suitable for applications at temperatures up to 250°C (300°C for short durations). |
100 | I |
Barium lead titanate
| Material designation |
General description of the material properties | Classification in accordance with EN 50324-1 | as an alternative to DOD-STD-1376A |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIC 110 | PIC 110 is a modified barium titanate piezoelectric ceramics material with a Curie temperature of 150°C. Its low acoustic impedance makes this material especially suitable for sonar and hydrophonic applications. |
400 | IV |