A method for preparing a piezoelectric film includes: coating a solution containing a piezoelectric polymer and a solvent on a substrate to obtain a film, wherein the piezoelectric polymer is a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and trifluoroethylene; and annealing the film at a temperature ranging from 122° C. to 133° C., to obtain the piezoelectric film.

A piezoelectric element includes a substrate, a first electrode formed on the substrate, a piezoelectric layer, which is a layered structure of a plurality of piezoelectric films each containing potassium, sodium, and niobium, formed on the first electrode, and a second electrode formed on the piezoelectric layer. A sodium concentration in the piezoelectric layer has a Na local maximum value, which is a local maximum value of the sodium concentration, in a first piezoelectric film, which is among the plurality of piezoelectric films, in the vicinity of the first electrode, a sodium concentration gradient decreasing from the Na local maximum value toward the second electrode, and a Na local minimum value, which is a local minimum value of the sodium concentration, near a boundary between the first piezoelectric film and a second piezoelectric film formed immediately above the first piezoelectric film.

An electromechanical transducer element includes a first electrode on a diaphragm, an electromechanical transducer film on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the electromechanical transducer film. The electromechanical transducer film has a stacking structure. The electromechanical transducer film has a linear tapered shape that narrows from a first side facing the first electrode to a second side facing the second electrode in a cross section along a stacking direction.

A piezoelectric material includes a first material layer including a polycrystalline lead zinc niobate-lead zirconate titanate material arranged in a 001 crystal direction; and a second material layer including a mono-crystalline material having a 001 crystal face, wherein the lead zinc niobate-lead zirconate titanate and the mono-crystalline material are different. Also a piezoelectric device including the piezoelectric material.

A piezoelectric thin film element having a first electrode, a second electrode and a piezoelectric thin film between the electrodes, wherein the thin film comprises a laminate having two or more piezoelectric thin film layers and wherein a first thin film layer is doped by one or more dopants and a second film layer is doped by one or more dopants and wherein at least one dopant of the second thin film layer is different from the dopant or dopants of the first thin film layer.

The invention relates to a process for producing a structured shaped body or a layer of this type from a precursor of a metal oxide or mixed oxide selected from compounds of metals selected from among magnesium, strontium, barium, aluminum, gallium, indium, silicon, tin, lead and the transition metals. The process includes at least the following steps: (a) dissolving at least one compound of the at least one metal in an organic solvent and/or exchanging a ligand of the one or more dissolved metallic compounds for a stabilizing ligand, (b) adding a ligand that has at least one photochemically polymerizable group and at least one such group that allows a stable complex formation to the solution and forming a sol with or from the product of this reaction (precursor), (c) applying the sol on a substrate, and (d) exposing the sol anisotropically in such a way that a polymerization of the photochemically polymerizable groups takes place in the exposed areas.

A liquid composition for forming a piezoelectric film formed of a metal oxide including at least Bi, Na, and Ti. A raw material of the Na is a sodium alkoxide, a raw material of the Ti is a titanium alkoxide, a diol and an amine-based stabilizer are included, and a molar ratio of the amine-based stabilizer with respect to the titanium alkoxide (titanium alkoxide:amine-based stabilizer) is 1:0.5 to 1:4. It is preferable that the metal oxide is included as 4% by mass to 20% by mass with respect to 100% by mass of the liquid composition.

Provided is a coating liquid for forming a piezoelectric thin film containing lead zirconate titanate, the coating liquid including a complex precursor containing at least three kinds of metal elements of Pb, Ti, and Zr, the coating liquid being free from an exothermic peak at a temperature of 450 C. or more, or having a heat generation amount at a temperature of from 400 C. to 450 C., which is larger than a heat generation amount at a temperature of from 450 C. to 500 C., in differential thermal analysis of the coating liquid.

Ferroelectric ceramics including: a Pb(Zr.sub.1-BTi.sub.B)O.sub.3 seed crystal film formed on a foundation film; and a Pb(Zr.sub.1-xTi.sub.x)O.sub.3 crystal film, wherein: the seed crystal film is formed by sputtering while the foundation film is being disposed on an upper side of a sputtering target and the foundation film is being made to face the sputtering target; in the seed crystal film, a Zr/Ti ratio on the crystal film side from the center in the thickness direction thereof is larger than a Zr/Ti ratio on the foundation film side from the center in the thickness direction thereof; the crystal film is crystallized by coating and heating a solution containing, in an organic solvent, a metal compound wholly or partially containing ingredient metals of the crystal film and a partial polycondensation product thereof; and the B and the x satisfy formulae 2 and 3, respectively, below,
0.1<B<1formula 2
0.1<x<1formula 3.

An electromechanical transducer element includes an electromechanical transducer film including a complex oxide that has a perovskite structure containing at least Pb, Zr and Ti; a pair of electrodes disposed to sandwich the electromechanical transducer film; and an insulating protective film covering the electromechanical transducer film and the pair of electrodes. Pb content of the electromechanical transducer film is uniform in a film thickness direction of the electromechanical transducer film, and a density of leak current measured between the pair of electrodes is 4.210.sup.6 A/cm.sup.2 or less in an environment in which a water vapor pressure is 300 kPa.