LAUSR

PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films on stainless steel substrates were fabricated by an ethylene glycol modified sol–gel method. Perovskite structure of PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films was examined by the X-ray diffraction analysis. With the increase of ethylene glycol, PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films with enhanced dielectric and ferroelectric properties were got. Crack-free PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films with thickness of 1.6 μm were prepared for ethylene glycol content of 50%, and the dielectric permittivity and dielectric loss were 224 and 5.4% respectively at the frequency of 1 kHz showing better dielectric properties compared with PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films without ethylene glycol modified. The remnant polarization (Pr) of 50% content ethylene glycol modified PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films was nearly twice reaching 12.3 μC/cm2, and lower leakage current density was obtained with 4.6 × 10−6 A· cm−2 under the field of 50 kV· cm−1. Such enhanced performance indicated that the PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films prepared on stainless steel substrates by the ethylene glycol modified sol–gel process exhibited their potentiality in applications.Graphical abstract