Fabrication of lead zirconate titanate ceramics by reaction flash sintering of PbO-ZrO2-TiO2 mixed oxides

Dense and pure PZT ceramics are successfully fabricated by reaction flash sintering of the PbO-ZrO₂-TiO₂ mixed oxides, which enables the chemical reaction and sintering to take place simultaneously, skipping the preparation process of PZT powders that is always required in the industrial processes. The reaction flash sintering occurs at 524, 533, 546 and 564 °C under the electric field of 600, 500, 400 and 300 V/cm, respectively. The average grain size of obtained sample is increased with electric field. Besides the Joule heating, generation of high concentrations of defects are proposed to explain the mechanisms of reaction flash sintering. This study presents a cost-effective way to fabricate dense and pure ceramic materials from their basic constituents in one step at low temperature in short time.