APC's materials engineers are proud to announce the addition of APC-860 Porous PZT material to its continually growing line of PZT materials. 

 

APC-860 is a new unique material developed in response to customer demands.  APC-860 is a porous PZT material based on the tried and true APC-850 (Navy II) PZT material.  Developed as an alternative to traditional lead-metaniobates, APC-860 PZT material maintains the use temperatures of APC-850 while dramatically reducing acoustic impedance.  This makes APC-860 material an excellent choice for certain sensing, NDT, or hydrophone applications. 

 

Why Porous?

 

It seems counterintuitive to induce porosity in a material that most everyone wants as dense as possible.  So WHY do we want to have a porous PZT material? 

 

Porous PZT has a lower acoustic impedance than its dense counterpart.

So why is this important?  The efficiency of a transducer is dramatically improved when the acoustic impedance of the transducer is as close as possible to the acoustic impedance of the medium that the transducer is designed to operate within. 

 

With typical dense PZT having an acoustic impedance in the 30-35 MRayl range, multiple acoustic impedance matching layers are generally required to operate the transducer efficiently in liquid or air mediums (most liquids fall in the 0.5-2.5 MRayl range, excluding liquid metals).  APC-860 material boasts an acoustic impedance of only 16-17 MRayl.  This means fewer matching layers for similar efficiencies.  This saves material, space, time, and expense.

 

Properties:

 

The real key to the success of the APC-860 material is the microstructure.  Consistency in pore size, pore density, and pore distribution are critical for a consistent, reproducible material.  APC has developed combinations of sintering and fugitive techniques ensuring consistency batch to batch.  Figure 2 shows an SEM micrograph of the APC-860 PZT material.  Take note of the approximately 20% porosity, pore size, and consistency that can be studied when reviewing the material microstructure.  

Samples of the APC-860 material are custom and must be made to order.  To discuss your potential application using the APC-860 material, a porous HARD PZT, or to discuss custom material requirements, contact your APC Technical Sales Representative today!  

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