Preparation and Characterization of Lead Free Multi-Layer Ceramic Actuators with Ni Inner Electrodes Prepared by Inkjet Printing

In order to prepare lead free multi-layer ceramic (MLC) actuators with Ni inner electrodes, inkjet ink containing NiO was prepared and its rheological properties were examined. The viscosity of the ink followed the Andrade's equation. By using this ink, Ba(Ti,Zr)O3 based MLCs were prepared. The printed NiO layers were reduced to metal Ni and they functioned as the inner electrodes. The remanent polarization of the MLCs increased with the grain growth caused by the increase of firing temperature. The remanent polarization Pr and coercive field Ec of the MLCs fired at 1400°C were 6.4 μC/cm2 and 3.5 kV/cm, respectively. The displacement of the MLCs with 7 active layers was approximately 320nm at 30 kV/cm. The effective d33 shows approximately 160 pm/V when the electric field was 10 kV/cm.