Synthesis of Dense Lead Titanate Ceramics with Submicrometer Grains by Spark Plasma Sintering

• Published in: Journal of the American Ceramic Society Vol. 83; no. 3; pp. 541 - 544
• Main Authors: Takeuchi, Tomonari, Tabuchi, Mitsuharu, Kondoh, Isao, Tamari, Nobuyuki, Kageyama, Hiroyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Westerville, Ohio American Ceramics Society 01.03.2000; Blackwell
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building materials. Ceramics. Glasses; Ceramic industries; Chemical industry and chemicals; Electrotechnical and electronic ceramics; Exact sciences and technology; Technical ceramics; Grain size; Plasma; Densification; Electrical properties; Dielectric properties; Lead Titanates; Experimental study; Lattice parameters; Ultrafine powder; Oxide ceramics; Spark discharge; Sintering; Manufacturing; Microstructure; Electroceramics
• ISSN: 0002-7820; 1551-2916
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1151-2916.2000.tb01231.x

Dense PbTiO3 ceramics consisting of submicrometer‐sized grains were prepared using the spark‐plasma‐sintering (SPS) method. Hydrothermally prepared PbTiO3 (0.1 μm) was used as a starting powder. The powder was densified to ≳98% of the theoretical X‐ray density by the SPS process. The average grain size of the spark‐plasma‐sintered ceramics (SPS ceramics) was ≲1 μm, even after sintering at 900°–1100°C, because of the short sintering period (1–3 min). The measured permittivity of the SPS ceramics showed almost no frequency dependence over the range 101–106 Hz, mainly because pores were absent from the ceramics. The coercive field of the SPS ceramics was somewhat higher than that of conventionally sintered ceramics, which could be attributed to the small‐grained microstructures of the SPS ceramics.