3D printed piezoelectric focused element for ultrasonic transducer

Bulk 0.71Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.29PbTiO₃ (PMN-29PT) piezoelectric ceramics are prepared using 3D printing stereolithography (SLA) technique. The crystal strcture and microstructure of the 3D printed green bodis and sintered ceramics were analyzed. The 3D printed samples exhibit prospective dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric performance. The dielectric constant and piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ of the sintered PMN-29PT ceramics reach 2698 and 487 pC/N, respectively. Furthermore, focused piezoelectric element with bowl-like structure was designed and prepared using SLA. The ultrasonic transducer based on the 3D printed focused element presents promising performance with center frequency of 2.85 MHz and 45% −6 dB bandwidth. These results demonstrate the potential of fabricating piezoelectric ceramics with complex structure by 3D printing for the application in piezoelectric devices.