A Comparative Study of Conventional and Microwave Sintering of BaCe1-xGdxO3-delta Ceramic

Abstract

The nanoparticles of BaCe1 - xGdxO3 - delta (BCGO) with x = 0.01 and 0.02 mol% Gd3+ respectively, were synthesized by the polymeric precursor method. The nanocrystals analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) displayed an orthorhombic perovskite-type structure. The sintered samples were characterized using Archimedes method, field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FE-SEM), and dilatometric measurements are reported. The values obtained relative to the average crystallite sizes calculated by the Scherrer equation were found to be dependent on Gd dopant concentration in the samples under investigation. The samples were sintered via both conventional and microwave sintering methods at 1480 A degrees C for 4 h and at 1370 A degrees C for 1 h respectively. By applying a heating rate of 50 A degrees C min(- 1) in a microwave oven, a satisfactory final density (95.1% of the theoretical density) was obtained using relatively lower temperatures compared to the conventional method. Both sintering methods were successfully employed towards obtaining dense BCGO ceramic. Comparatively, however, domestic microwave sintering was found to bear advantages over conventional sintering. Among such advantages include rapid heating, selective material coupling in addition to the enhancement of reaction kinetics. These relevant merits, in essence, render microwave sintering suitably more attractive for the synthesis of diverse ceramic materials.