Dielectric properties and phase transitions of La_2O_3- and Sb_2O_3-doped barium strontium titanate ceramics

The dielectric properties and phase transition characteristics of La2O3- and Sb2O3-doped barium strontium titanate ceramics prepared by solid state route were investigated. The microstructure was identified by X-ray diffraction method and scanning electron microscope was also employed to observe the surface morphologies. It is found that （La,Sb）-codoped barium strontium titanate ceramics exhibit typical perovskite structure and the average grain size decreases dramatically with increasing the content of Sb2O3. Both La3＋ ions and Sb3＋ ions occupy the A-sites in perovskite lattice. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of barium strontium titanate based ceramics are obviously influenced by La2O3 as well as Sb2O3 addition content. The tetragonal-cubic phase transition of La2O3 modified barium strontium titanate ceramics is of second order and the Curie temperature shifts to lower value with increasing the La2O3 doping content. The phase transition of （La,Sb）-codoped barium strontium titanate ceramics diffuses and the deviation from Curie-Weiss law becomes more obvious with the increase in Sb2O3 concentration. The temperature corresponding to the dielectric constant maximum of （La,Sb）-codoped barium strontium titanate ceramics decreases with increasing the Sb2O3 content, which is attributed to the replacement of host ions by the Sb3＋ ions.

Microstructure and electrical properties of Lu_2O_3-doped ZnO-Bi_2O_3-based varistor ceramics

Lu2O3-doped ZnO-Bi2O3-based varistor ceramics samples were prepared by a conventional mixed oxide route and sintered at temperatures in the range of 900-1 000°C,and the microstructures of the varistor ceramics samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry(XRD)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM);at the same time,the electrical properties and V-I characteristics of the varistor ceramics samples were investigated by a DC parameter instrument for varistors.The results show that the ZnO-Bi2O3-based varistor ceramics with 0.3%Lu2O3(molar fraction)sintered at 950°C exhibit comparatively ideal comprehensive electrical properties.The XRD analysis of the samples shows the presence of ZnO,Bi-rich,spinel Zn7Sb2O12 and Lu2O3-based phases.

THE STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF Li_2O-Al_2O_3-SiO_2LOW EXPANSION GLASS CERAMICS CONTAINING B_2O_3

Through measuring the coefficient of linear expansion, the structure and properties of the Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2 low expansion glass ceramics containing B2O3 are studied by JR and XRD. It is shoutn that the IR method is efficient in the study of the glass-ceramics structure. There is a " Boron abnormality" in the system which has an important influence on the properties of the glass-ceramics.

Effect of La_2O_3 on Microstructure and Transmittance of Transparent Alumina Ceramics

Optically transparent alumina ceramics were fabricated by conventional process and sintered without pressure in H2 atmosphere. The results indicate that relative densities of alumina specimens increase to theoretical densities （T. D. ） with increasing content of La2O3. With increasing holding time during sintering, much less pores and larger grains were found in the sintered alumina samples. Higher transmittance was achieved in alumina codoped with MgO and La2O3 as compared with that doped with MgO only. The total-transmittance of alumina sample is up to 86% at twavelength range of 300 - 800 nm.

Thermal shock fatigue behavior of TiC/Al_2O_3 composite ceramics

The thermal shock fatigue behaviors of pure hot-pressed alumina and 30 wt.% TiC/Al2O3 composites were studied. The effect of TiC and Al2O3 starting particle size on the mechanical properties of the composites was discussed. Indentation-quench test was conducted to evaluate the effect of thermal fatigue temperature difference （ΔT） and number of thermal cycles （Ⅳ） on fatigue crack growth （Δa）. The mechanical properties and thermal fatigue resistance of TiC/Al203 composites are remarkably improved by the addition of TiC. The thermal shock fatigue of monolithic alumina and TiC/Al2O3 composites is due to a ＂true＂ cycling effect （thermal fatigue）. Crack deflection and bridging are the predominant reasons for the improvement of thermal shock fatigue resistance of the composites.

Microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of lead borosilicate glass ceramics with Al_2O_3

The effects of Al2O3 addition on both the sintering behavior and microwave dielectric properties of PbO-B203-SiO2 glass ceramics were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscope （FTIR）, differential thermal analysis （DTA）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results show that with the increase of Al2O3 content the bands assigned to [SiO4] nearly disappear. Aluminum replaces silicon in the glass network, which is helpful for the formation of boron-oxygen rings. The increase of the transition temperature Tg and softening temperature Tf of PbO-B2O3-SiO2 glass ceramics leads to the increase of liquid phase precipitation temperature and promotes the structure stability in the glasses, and consequently contributes to the decreasing trend of crystallization. Densification and dielectric constants increase with the increase of Al2O3 content, but the dielectric loss is worsened. By contrast, the 3% （mass fraction） Al2O3-doped glass ceramics sintered at 725℃ have better properties of density p=2.72 g/cm3, dielectric constant Er=6.78, dielectric loss tan8=2.6×10^-3 （measured at 9.8 GHz）, which suggest that the glass ceramics can be applied in multilayer microwave devices requiring low sintering temperatures.

Sintering,crystallization and dielectric properties of CaO-B_2O_3-SiO_2 system glass ceramics

CaO-B203-SiO2 （CBS） glass powders are prepared by conventional glass melting method at different melting temperatures whose properties and microstructures are characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. It is found that there are SiO2 and some unknown phases in CBS glass melting liquid from 1 300 ℃ to 1 500 ℃ and the amount of these phases decreases with the increase of the melting temperature. The CBS glass melted at 1 450 ℃ could be sintered from 830 ℃ to 930 ℃ and the bulk densities of the samples are all higher than 2.4 g/cm^3. From the points of the properties and energy conservation, the melting temperature of 1 450 ℃ is the optimal melting temperature. The glass ceramic sintered at 850 ℃ exhibits better dielectric properties： er=6.33, tan6=2.2×10^-3 at 10 GHz, and the major phases of the samples are CaSiO3, CaB2O4 and SiO2.

Studies on the Structure and Properties of Multiphase Al_2O_3 Abrasion-resistant Ceramics

The Al2O3 abrasion-resistant ceramics is successfully prepared by using waste aluminum sludge as the main raw material with the addition of a little clay, talc and barium carbonate. The crystal structure and microstructure of ceramic are characterized by means of XRD, SEM, etc., and the physical and mechanical properties are also tested. The results show that besides the phase of corundum, a little mullite, Mg-Al spinel and hyalophane phases also exist in the product. These phases are produced via reaction in-situ, which can inhibit the overgrowth of Al2O3 grain in grain boundary, and improve the integral property of the material.

Mechanical properties and plasma erosion resistance of BN_p/Al_2O_3-SiO_2 composite ceramics

BNp/Al2O3-SiO2 system ceramic matrix composites with different volume fractions （10%-60%） of hexagonal BN particulates （BNp） were prepared by hot-press sintering technique. Phase components, microstructure, mechanical properties and plasma erosion resistance were also investigated. With the increase of h-BNp content, relative density and Vickers＇ hardness of the composite ceramics decrease, while the flexural strength, elastic modulus and fracture toughness increase and then decrease. The plasma erosion resistance linearly deteriorated with the increase of BNp content which is mainly determined by the density, crystal structure and atomic number of the elements.

Effect of Nano-ZrO_2 on Microstructure and Thermal Shock Behaviour of Al_2O_3/SiC Composite Ceramics Used in Solar Thermal Power

The Al2O3-ZrO2（3Y）-SiC composite ceramics used in solar thermal power were prepared by micrometric Al2O3,nano-ZrO2 and SiC powders under the condition of pressureless sintering.The bulk density and bending strength of samples with 10vol% nano-ZrO2 sintered at 1480℃ were 3.222 g/cm3 and 160.4MPa,respectively.The bending strength of samples after 7 times thermal shock tests （quenching from 1000℃ to 25℃ in air medium） is 132.0MPa,loss rate of bending strength is only 17%.The effect of nano-ZrO2 content on the microstructure and performance of Al2O3-ZrO2（3Y）-SiC composite ceramic was investigated.The experimental results show that the bending strength of samples with above 10vol% nano-ZrO2 content has decreased,because the volume expansion resulting from t-ZrO2 to m-ZrO2 phase transformation is excessive;Adding proper nano-ZrO2 would be contributed to improve the thermal shock resistance of the composite ceramics.The Al2O3-ZrO2（3Y）-SiC composite ceramic has promising potential application in solar thermal power.

Influence of size of seed grains and sintering condition on varistor properties of ZnO-Bi_2O_3-TiO_2-Sb_2O_3 ceramics

Varistor ceramics of ZnO Bi 2O 3 TiO 2 Sb 2O 3 system have been fabricated by introducing pre fabricated ZnO seed grains with different size distributions respectively. The results show that the varistor properties were significantly influenced by the size of introduced seed grains, and introducing larger seed grains is more advantageous to the modification of microstructure and the improvement of varistor properties. The varistor properties were considerably improved with a moderately increased sintering temperature or time, whereas degraded apparently when the sintering temperature or time was excessively increased. Compared with the sintering time, the sintering temperature plays a more critical role in determining the varistor properties. By introducing pre fabricated ZnO seed grains into the original powders, low voltage ZnO varistor ceramics possessing the desired electrical properties have been produced with a sintering temperature of about 1 210 ℃ and a sintering temperature of 2～2.5 h. [

Comparison between AlN and Al2O3 ceramics applied to barrier dielectric of plasma actuator

This paper reports the material characterization and performance evaluation of an AlN ceramic based dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） plasma actuator. A conventional Al2O3 ceramic is also investigated as a control. The plasma images,thermal characteristics and electrical properties of the two actuators are compared and studied. Then, with the same electrical operating parameters（12-kV applied voltage and 11-kHz power frequency）, variations of the surface morphologies,consumed power and induced velocities are recorded and analyzed. The experimental results show that the AlN actuator can produce a more uniform discharge while the discharge of the Al2O3 actuator is easier to become filamentary. The later condition leads to higher power consumption and earlier failure due to electrode oxidation. In the plasma process,the power increment of the AlN actuator is higher than that of the Al_2O_3 actuator. The induced velocity is also influenced by this process. Prior to aging, the maximum induced velocity of the AlN actuator is 4.2 m/s, which is about 40% higher than that of the Al2O3 actuator. After 120-min plasma aging, the maximum velocity of the aged AlN actuator decreases by 27.8% while the Al_2O_3 actuator registers a decrease of 25%.

Properties of La_2O_3-Doped PNSZT Piezoelectric Ceramics Having Tetragonal and Rhombohedral Coexistent Phases

The relationship between composition and the electric mechanical properties for La2O3-doped lead niobium stibium zirconate titanate(La2O3-doped PNSZT) piezoelectric ceramics,in which there are tetragonal and rhombohedral coexistent phases, was studied. A series of piezoelectric ceramics with good properties was obtained, having dielectric constants (ε= 1500 ~ 2500), plane electromechanical coupling factor(Kp = 0.45 ~ 0.65), mechanical quality factor( Qm = 500 ~ 1600). These materials are used for making ultrasonic sensor and filter, and marine acoustic launching and receiving device, and so on. It has been explored that the influence of composition on the lattice constant and phase composition of La2O3-doped PNSZT piezoelectric ceramics by XRD(X-ray diffraction) . The character of dielectric constant changing of La2O3-doped PNSZT piezoelectric ceramics before polarization and after polarization was studied. The affecting mechanism about composition on the electric machine properties of phase coexistent La2O3-doped PNSZT piezoelectric ceramics was analyzed and discussed.

Study on Mg PSZ Ceramics Doped with Y_2O_3 and CeO_2

Mg PSZ ceramics doped with Y 2O 3 and CeO 2 was prepared using traditional processing method. The fine grain PSZ ceramics( d c10 μm) sintered at low temperature(1550 ℃) was obtained by means of composition design. The effects of co stabilization of Y 2O 3, CeO 2 and annealing at 1100 ℃ on material composition, microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that Y 2O 3 and CeO 2 during annealing at 1100 ℃ can inhibit subeutectoid decomposition reaction effectively, and optimize nucleation and growth of t ZrO 2 precipitates in c ZrO 2 matrix phase. The materials show transgranular and intergranular fracture characteristics, and exhibit better mechanical properties owing to the cooperative effect of stress induced transformation toughening and microcrack toughening.

Study on the Conductivity of BaPbO_3-Nd_2O_3 System Ceramics

In this paper, the conductivities of BaPbO 3 and BaPbO 3-Nd 2O 3 system ceramics are studied. The experimental results show that the charge carriers in this system ceramics are donor electrons captured in oxygen vacancies. The conductivity and the PTC characteristics of the BaPbO 3-Nd 2O 3 ceramics are obviously different from those of pure BaPbO ceramics.

The fluorescence and thermoluminescence characteristics of α-Al_2O_3:C ceramics

This paper reports that polycrystalline （α-Al2O3：C ceramics are fabricated by conventional ceramics process. The excitation, emission spectra, thermoluminescence （TL） and optical stimulated luminescence （OSL） of α-Al2O3：C polycrystalline ceramics are investigated. There exists 410nm maximum emission peak which is caused by recombination of an electron with F＋ centre to produce an excited F centre. The samples show three clear TL glow peaks at 405, 493 and 610 K. The attenuation constant of exponentially decaying fast component （τ1） and slow component（τ2） of OSL curve are 8.43s and 41.73s, respectively. Those fluorescence and thermoluminescence characteristics are similar with α-Al2O3：C crystal.

Interface characteristics of Al_2O_3－13%TiO_2 ceramic coatings prepared by laser cladding

Al2O3-13%TiO2 （mass fraction） coatings, prepared by laser cladding on nickel-based alloy, were heated using high frequency induction sources. The coating microstructure and the interface between bond coating and ceramic coating were characterized by SEM, XRD and EDS. The results show that two-layer substructure exists in the ceramic coating： one layer evolving from fully melted region where the sintered grains grow fully; another layer resembling the liquid-phase-sintered structure consisting of three-dimensional net where the melted Al2O3 particles are embedded in the TiO2-rich matrix. The mechanism of the two-layer substructure formation is also explained in terms of the melting and flattening behavior of the powders during laser cladding processing. The spinel compounds NiAl2O4 and acicular compounds Cr2O3 are discovered in the interface between bond coating and ceramic coating. It proves that the chemical reactions in the laser cladding process will significantly enhance the coating adhesion.

Spectroscopic characterization of Yb:Sc_2O_3 transparent ceramics

Yb：Sc2O3 transparent ceramics are fabricated by a conventional ceramic process and sintering in H2 atmosphere. The room-temperature spectroscopic properties are investigated, and the Raman spectrum shows an obvious vibration characteristic band centred at 415 cm-1. There are three broad absorption bands around 891, 937, and 971 nm, respectively. The strongest emission peak is centred at 1.04 μm with a broad bandwidth （11 nm） and an emission cross-section of 1.8×10^-20 cm^2. The gain coefficient implies a possible laser ability in a range from 990 nm to 1425 nm. The energy-level structure shows that Yb：Sc2O3 ceramics have large Stark splitting at the ground state level due to their strong crystal field. All the results show that Yb：Sc2O3 transparent ceramics are a promising material for short pulse lasers.

Low-Temperature Sintering and Microwave DielectricProperties of Ba_2Ti_3Nb_4O_(18) Ceramics

The effects of CuO and H3BO3 additions on the low-temperature sintering,microstructure,and microwave dielectric properties of Ba2Ti3Nb4O18 ceramics were investigated.The addition of less amount of CuO （ 〈1 wt%） considerably facilitated the densification of Ba2Ti3Nb4O18 ceramics.Appropriate addition of H3BO3 （ 〈3.5 wt%） remarkably improved the microwave dielectric properties of ceramics.The addition of H3BO3 and CuO successfully reduced the sintering temperature of Ba2Ti3Nb4O18 ceramics from 1300 to 1050 ℃.Ba2Ti3Nb4O18 ceramics sintered at 1 050 ℃ for 4 h with the addition of 1.0 wt% CuO and 3.5 wt% H3BO3 exhibited good microwave dielectric properties：er=33.74,Q？f=13 812 GHz,and tf=-5.35 ppm/°C at about 5.0 GHz.

Influence of Heat Treatment Temperature and of Sb2O3 addition on Photoluminescence Properties of ZnO Ceramics Prepared by Sol-Gel Technique Preparation

To explore thin transparent electroluminescence and electric conductive films by sol-gel technique, Sb2O3 doped n-type ZnO ceramics powders were prepared by sol-gel technique and photoluminescence properties were measured. Then, the influences of composition and heat treatment temperature on photoluminescence properties were investigated in detail. With respect to the dopant concentration, about 1mol% addition of Sb2O3 was effective to increase photoluminescence intensity. With respect to heat treatment temperature, 800℃ was appropriate, and rather higher heat treatment temperature resulted in the formation of Zn7Sb2O12 and decrease the intensity. The excited ultraviolet wavelength of 200nm was proper to intense photoluminescence.