Thermal analysis and microstructural characterization of ceramic green tapes prepared by aqueous tape casting

In this study, aqueous lead magnesium niobate (PMN) slurry formulations were developed for tape casting using a poly(acrylic acid) - poly(ethylene) oxide comb polymer as the dispersant, nonionic acrylic latex as the binder phase and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as the wetting agent. Concentrated suspensions were cast onto a silicone-coated mylar film, and the effect of acrylic latex on deposition was investigated. Thermal analyses were performed to investigate the mass loss of the green tapes as a function of calcination temperature. Differential scanning calorimetric analyses were made under air and nitrogen atmospheres to investigate the binder distribution through the green tapes. Results showed that it is possible to prepare flexible, crack free PMN thick films using a proper slurry composition in the presence of acrylic latex binder, without using any plasticizer. Additionally, decomposing mechanisms of the acrylic based binder were essentially different in the two atmospheres.