[Object] To provide a porous piezoelectric material molded body highly useful as a constituent material of a piezoelectric transducer suitable, in particular, for a probe of medical ultrasound diagnosis equipment. [Solution] A porous piezoelectric material molded body, in which 1000 or more spherical pores with an average pore diameter in the range of 2 to 70 μm are dispersedly formed per volume of 1 mm3, is characterized in that there is substantially no pore with a pore diameter larger than 50 μm, and 80% by volume or more of the total pores that constitute a spherical pore group have a pore diameter within ±20% of the average pore diameter.

[Object] To provide a porous piezoelectric material molded body highly useful as a constituent material of a piezoelectric transducer suitable, in particular, for a probe of medical ultrasound diagnosis equipment. [Solution] A porous piezoelectric material molded body, in which 1000 or more spherical pores with an average pore diameter in the range of 2 to 70 μm are dispersedly formed per volume of 1 mm3, is characterized in that there is substantially no pore with a pore diameter larger than 50 μm, and 80% by volume or more of the total pores that constitute a spherical pore group have a pore diameter within ±20% of the average pore diameter.

[Object] To provide a porous piezoelectric material molded body highly useful as a constituent material of a piezoelectric transducer suitable, in particular, for a probe of medical ultrasound diagnosis equipment. [Solution] A porous piezoelectric material molded body, in which 1000 or more spherical pores with an average pore diameter in the range of 2 to 70 μm are dispersedly formed per volume of 1 mm3, is characterized in that there is substantially no pore with a pore diameter larger than 50 μm, and 80% by volume or more of the total pores that constitute a spherical pore group have a pore diameter within ±20% of the average pore diameter.

The invention relates to an additive manufacturing method comprising the steps: additive application of a layer of material (1), and modifying a part of the applied material layer (1) in a property so that a partial layer (3) in the material layer (1) is structured, the partial layer (3) differing from the remaining material layer at least in the modified property. The invention also relates to a correspondingly manufactured component and a suitable manufacturing apparatus.

A process for preparing a porous ceramic body includes forming a green body with a mixture of ceramic material powder, binder material, and pore-forming particles. The process further includes extracting the binder material, decomposing the pore-forming particles, and removing residual organic materials from the green body at respective, progressively higher pre-firing temperatures. After these three stages, the green body is sintered at a still-higher temperature to form the porous ceramic body. Embodiments facilitate manufacturing and can render most or all surface grinding unnecessary, allowing electrode deposition directly onto substantially non-porous surfaces of the porous ceramic body that are naturally formed during sintering. Advantageously, the green body may be formed into net shape by injection molding the mixture that includes the pore-forming particles, and embodiments can result in porous ceramic bodies that are much thicker than currently available, with better structural integrity.

A process for preparing a porous ceramic body includes forming a green body with a mixture of ceramic material powder, binder material, and pore-forming particles. The process further includes extracting the binder material, decomposing the pore-forming particles, and removing residual organic materials from the green body at respective, progressively higher pre-firing temperatures. After these three stages, the green body is sintered at a still-higher temperature to form the porous ceramic body. Embodiments facilitate manufacturing and can render most or all surface grinding unnecessary, allowing electrode deposition directly onto substantially non-porous surfaces of the porous ceramic body that are naturally formed during sintering. Advantageously, the green body may be formed into net shape by injection molding the mixture that includes the pore-forming particles, and embodiments can result in porous ceramic bodies that are much thicker than currently available, with better structural integrity.

A process for preparing a porous ceramic body includes forming a green body with a mixture of ceramic material powder, binder material, and pore-forming particles. The process further includes extracting the binder material, decomposing the pore-forming particles, and removing residual organic materials from the green body at respective, progressively higher pre-firing temperatures. After these three stages, the green body is sintered at a still-higher temperature to form the porous ceramic body. Embodiments facilitate manufacturing and can render most or all surface grinding unnecessary, allowing electrode deposition directly onto substantially non-porous surfaces of the porous ceramic body that are naturally formed during sintering. Advantageously, the green body may be formed into net shape by injection molding the mixture that includes the pore-forming particles, and embodiments can result in porous ceramic bodies that are much thicker than currently available, with better structural integrity.

A piezoelectric element that includes: a piezoelectric ceramic containing, as a main component thereof, a composite oxide having a perovskite crystal structure; a first electrode on a first face of the piezoelectric ceramic; and a second electrode on a second face of the piezoelectric ceramic opposite the first face. The piezoelectric ceramic mainly has a rhombohedral crystal structure. The crystal axis of the piezoelectric ceramic is {100} oriented, and the direction of the {100} orientation is orthogonal to the direction in which the first electrode and the second electrode face each other.

A piezoelectric element that includes: a piezoelectric ceramic containing, as a main component thereof, a composite oxide having a perovskite crystal structure; a first electrode on a first face of the piezoelectric ceramic; and a second electrode on a second face of the piezoelectric ceramic opposite the first face. The piezoelectric ceramic mainly has a rhombohedral crystal structure. The crystal axis of the piezoelectric ceramic is {100} oriented, and the direction of the {100} orientation is orthogonal to the direction in which the first electrode and the second electrode face each other.

An object of the present invention is to provide a polymer-based piezoelectric composite material including lead zirconate titanate particles in a matrix consisting of a polymer material, the polymer-based piezoelectric composite material having a high piezoelectric characteristic; and a method for producing raw-material particles for a composite, the raw-material particles being used in the polymer-based piezoelectric composite material. The object is accomplished by a configuration in which the lead zirconate titanate particles include a polycrystalline material, a crystal structure of primary particles constituting the polycrystalline material of the lead zirconate titanate particles includes tetragonal particles, and a volume fraction occupied by the tetragonal particles is 80% or more.