Synthesis of Lead Zirconate Titanate Nanostructured Thin Films Using Polyols

Here, nanostructured lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films were deposited on Au/SiO2 substrates through the polyol-based sol-gel process using chloride precursors and a dihydric alcohol. Propylene glycol was used as both the chelating agent and the solvent to prepare high-quality PZT thin films. Our polyol-based method exhibited several advantages: The process is cost-effective because of the low cost of the precursors, also, unlike the conventional alkoxide-based method, the prepared PZT sols were stable for several years, and the perovskite PZT phase could form at low temperature, within 450 -575°C, according to DTA/TG results. Thus, once the substrate was prepared, PZT layers were deposited by spin coating the sol, followed by ambient drying and pyrolysis at 450°C. The final PZT thin films were annealed at 575°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed crystallization of the PZT perovskite structure at 575°C in the annealed nanostructured films. Both optical and SEM images showed that PZT films are uniform and crack free. The EDS analysis confirmed that the films consist of the PZT components.