Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) precursor sols were prepared using a triol based sol–gel route. Inorganics salts metal alkoxides lead acetate trihydrate [Pb(OOCCH 3 ) 2 ·3H 2 O], titanium (IV) isopropoxide [Ti(OCH(CH 3 ) 2 ) 4 ], and zirconium n-propoxide [ZrOC 3 H7) 4 ] were used as starting materials. Thin films were deposited by spin coating onto Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrates. The samples were pre-heated (pyrolysis) on a calibrated hotplate over the temperature range of 200–400°C for 10min then firing at a temperature of 600°C for 30min. Randomly-oriented PZT thin films pre-heated at 400°C for 10min and annealed at 600°C for 30min showed well-defined ferroelectric hysteresis loops with a remanent polarization of 27μC/cm 2 and a coercive field of 115kV/cm. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the PZT films were 621 and 0.040, respectively. The microstructures of the thin films are dense, crack-free and homogeneous with fine grains about 15–20nm in size.