Dihydroxyalcohols (DIOL route) and 2-methoxyethanol (MOE route) are two of the most commonly used solvents in preparing sol-gel lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films. The employment of the PT(MOE) film as a buffer layer for PZT(DIOL) films not only offers advantages of more precise film thickness and better adhesion to substrate, but also reduces the crystallization temperature, improves the surface smoothness, and increases the grain size of the PZT(DIOL)/PT(MOE) composite films. The PT (MOE) buffer layer also improves electrical properties, such as polarization-electric field behavior, fatigue endurance, and leakage behavior, of PZT films. (c) 2006 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.