The low-temperature sinterability of TiO₂-CuO systems was investigated using a solid solution of SnO₂. Sample powders were prepared through conventional ball milling of mixed raw powders. With the SnO₂ content, the compositions of the samples were Ti_1-xSn_xO₂-CuO(2 wt.%) in the range of x ≤ 0.08. Compared with the samples without SnO₂ addition, the densification was enhanced when the samples were sintered at 900°C. The dominant mass transport mechanism seemed to be grain-boundary diffusion during heat treatment at 900°C, where active grain-boundary diffusion was responsible for the improved densification. The rapid grain growth featured by activated sintering was also obstructed with the addition of SnO₂. This suggested that both CuO as an activator and SnO₂ dopant synergistically reduced the sintering temperature of TiO₂.

Piezoelectric ceramic specimens with the Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.65Ti_0.35O₃ (PMN-PT) composition are prepared by the solid state reaction method known as the “columbite precursor” method. Moreover, the effects of the Li₂O-Bi₂O₃ additive on the microstructure, crystal structure, and piezoelectric properties of sintered PMN-PT ceramic samples are investigated. The addition of Li₂O-Bi₂O₃ lowers the sintering temperature from 1,200°C to 950°C. Moreover, with the addition of >5 wt.% additive, the crystal structure changes from tetragonal to rhombohedral. Notably, the sample with 3 wt.% additive exhibits excellent piezoelectric properties (d33 = 596 pC/N and Kp = 57%) and a sintered density of 7.92 g/cm³ after sintering at 950°C. In addition, the sample exhibits a curie temperature of 138.6°C at 1 kHz. Finally, the compatibility of the sample with a Cu electrode is examined, because the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data indicate the absence of interdiffusion between Cu and the ceramic material.

The impact of different mixing methods and sintering temperatures on the microstructure and piezoelectric properties of PZNN-PZT ceramics is investigated. To improve the sinterability and piezoelectric properties of these ceramics, the composition of 0.13Pb((Zn_0.8Ni_0.2)_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.87Pb(Zr_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃ (PZNN-PZT) containing a Pb-based relaxor component is selected. Two methods are used to create the powder for the PZNN-PZT ceramics. The first involves blending all source powders at once, followed by calcination. The second involves the preferential creation of columbite as a precursor, by reacting NiO with Nb₂O₅ powder. Subsequently, PZNN-PZT powder can be prepared by mixing the columbite powder, PbO, and other components, followed by an additional calcination step. All the PZNNPZT powder samples in this study show a nearly-pure perovskite phase. High-density PZNN-PZT ceramics can be fabricated using powders prepared by a two-step calcination process, with the addition of 0.3 wt% MnO2 at even relatively low sintering temperatures from 800°C to 1000°C. The grain size of the ceramics at sintering temperatures above 900°C is increased to approximately 3 μm. The optimized PZNN-PZT piezoelectric ceramics show a piezoelectric constant (d₃₃) of 360 pC/N, an electromechanical coupling factor (kp) of 0.61, and a quality factor (Q_m) of 275.

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