By a novel controlled combustion synthesis method, a large amount of ZnO nano-whiskers with different morphologies like nanotetrapods, long-leg nanotetrapod and multipods, were prepared without any catalysts and additives in open air at high temperature. Their morphologies, structures and optical properties were in-vestigated by using SEM, XRD and PL spectrum. The possible growth mechanisms on the ZnO nano-whiskers were proposed in this paper.
SHI XiaoLingCAO MaoShengZHAO YuNaSONG WeiLiRONG JiLi
This paper reports that the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric composites incorporating zinc oxide nanowhiskers (ZnO w ) were prepared by the conventional solid state processing. The whisker-dispersed PZT composites (PZT/ZnO w ) presented a significant enhancement in the mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, tensile strength and compressive strength. Especially, the compressive strength increased from 153 MPa for the PZT to 228 MPa for the PZT/ZnO w composites. The reinforcement mechanism in strength of the composites was discussed. The mechanical quality factors of the PZT/ZnO w composites increased considerably, while the piezoelectric constants and electromechanical coupling coefficient decreased slightly. The composites with good electrical and excellent mechanical properties are promising for further applications.
