ZrTiO4 materials obtained by spark plasma reaction-sintering
Zirconium titanate (ZrTiO4), have many attractive properties such as high resistivity, high dielectric constant, high permittivity at microwave frequencies and excellent temperature stability for microwave properties. Zirconium titanate dense materials are proposed for many structural applications, but fully reacted and completely dense pieces are difficult to obtain by conventional routes. In this work, fully dense zirconium titanate materials (∼98%) were obtained at lower temperatures (1300-1400 C) and short processing time by non-conventional technique; spark plasma-reaction sintering (SPRS). Homogeneous and stable starting powders mixture with the adequate composition was prepared from …
Microstructure and mechanical effects of spark plasma sintering in alumina monolithic ceramics
The specific effects of spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the creep behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties of alumina monolithic ceramic were investigated. SPS introduces strains that concentrate at grain boundaries and inhibit crack growth, resulting in an improvement in the flexural strength and fracture toughness. However, creep blocks grain boundary movements and decreases the reliability of the material. These strains can be removed by a post-sintering thermal treatment, which plays an important role in the distribution of dislocations.