Ultrasonically-assisted Hydrothermal Method for Ferroelectric Material Synthesis

The hydrothermal method enables the production of high-quality piezoelectric materials. In this study, we propose to irradiate the reaction solutions with ultrasonic power during the hydrothermal method to obtain a shorter reaction time and a smooth film surface. A high-pressure reaction container for the ultrasonic transducer was newly developed, and the ultrasonically-assisted hydrothermal method was examined by using this container. The effect of ultrasonic assist on the synthesis of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thin films and (K,Na)NbO$_{3}$ powders was verified. Thicker PZT film, thickness around 10 ${\mu}$m, could be obtained in one process, and (K,Na)NbO$_{3}$ powder was synthesized in half the previous reaction time.