• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2002

Effect of abnormal grain growth and heat treatment time on the electrical properties of donor-doped semiconductive BaTiO$_3$ceramics was examined. La-doped BaTiO$_3$ceramics was sintered at 134$0^{\circ}C$ for different times from 10 to 600 min in order to change the volume fraction of the abnormal grains in samples. As a result, samples with different volume fraction of abnormal grain growth from 22 to 100% were prepared. The samples were annealed at 120$0^{\circ}C$ for various times. The resistivity of the sam-ples at room and above Curie temperature was examined. The complex impedance measurement as functions of the volume fraction of abnormal grains and annealing time was conducted. Separation of complex impedance semicircle was observed in a sample in which abnormal and fine grains coexist. The results are discussed from a viewpoint of microstructure-property relationship.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.12 no.4 s.51
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• pp.261-265
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• 2005

In order to fabricate complex-shaped polycrystalline ceramics by sintering, organic binders are usually pre-mixed with ceramic powders to enhance the formability during the shape forming process. These organic binders, however, must be eliminated before sintering so as to eliminate the possibilities of poor densification and unusual grain growth during sintering. The present work studies the effect of binder addition on grain growth behavior during sintering of $92(70Pb(Mg_{1/3}Nb_{2/3})O_3-30PbTiO_3))$-8PbO(mol%) piezoelectric ceramics. The microstructures of the sintered samples were examined for various heating profiles and debinding schedules of the binder removal process. Addition of Polyvinyl butyral(PVB) binder promoted abnormal grain growth especially in incompletely debinded regions. Residual carbon appears to change the grain shape from comer-rounded to faceted and enhance abnormal grain growth.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.829-834
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• 2004

Annealing of $Cu(B)/Ti/SiO_2$ in vacuum has been carried out to investigate the effects of Ti underlayer on microstructure in $Cu(B)/Ti/SiO_2$ structures. For comparison, $Cu(B)/Ti/SiO_2$ structures was also annealed in vacuum. Three different temperature dependence of Cu growth can be seen in $Cu(B)/Ti/SiO_2$; B precipitates- pinned grain growth, abnormal grain growth, normal grain growth. The Ti underlayer having a strong affinity for B atoms reacts with the out-diffused B to the Ti surface and forms titanium boride at the Cu-Ti interface. The formation of titanium boride acts as a sink for the out-diffusion of B atoms. The depletion of boron in grain boundaries of Cu films, as results of the rapid diffusion of B along the grain boundaries and the insufficient segregation of B to the grain boundaries, induces grain boundaries to migrate and causes the abnormal grain growth. The increased bulk diffusion coefficient of B within Cu grains can be responsible for the normal grain growth occurring in the annealed $Cu(B)/Ti/SiO_2\;at\;600^{\circ}C$. In contrast, the $Cu/SiO_2$ structures show only the abnormal growth of grains and their sizes increasing as the temperature increases above $400^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.673-680
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• 2000

The effect of excess PbO(0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 mol%) on grain growth and densification of (65)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-(35)PbTiO3 [mol%] ceramics has been investigaetd. With increasing the amount of excess PbO and sintering time, densities of sintered samples decreased gradually. The samples containing less than 1 mol% of PbO showed normal grain growth behavior, however abnormal grain growth was observed to occur in the samples with more than 2 mol% of PbO. In the samples with more than 2 mol% of PbO, the number of abnormal grains decreased and thus the average grain size became smaller with increasing the amount of excess PbO. These results demonstrated that the abnormal grain growth started to occur when a critical amount of excess PbO was added to a (65)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-(35)PbTiO3 sample. Since PMN-PT grains in a liquid matrix were angular, the observed abnormal grain growth was explained to proceed through the two dimensional nucleation process.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.110-117
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• 2022

The grain growth behavior in the (1-x)K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃-xCaZrO₃ (KNNCZ-x) system is studied as a function of the amount of CZ and grain shape. The (1-x)K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃-xCaZrO₃ (KNNCZ-x) powders are synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction method. A single orthorhombic phase is observed at x = 0 - 0.03. However, rhombohedral and orthorhombic phases are observed at x = 0.05. The grain growth behavior changes from abnormal grain growth to the suppression of grain growth as the amount of CaZrO₃ (CZ) increases. With increasing CZ content, grains become more faceted, and the step-free energy increases. Therefore, the critical growth driving force increases. The grain size distribution broadens with increasing sintering time in KNNCZ-0.05. As a result, some large grains with a driving force larger than the critical driving force for growth exhibit abnormal grain growth behavior during sintering. Therefore, CZ changes the grain growth behavior and microstructure of KNN. Grain growth at the faceted interface of the KNNCZ system occurs via two-dimensional nucleation and growth.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.131-135
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• 2001

The ferroelectric properties of barium titanate strongly depend on its microstructure, in particular, grain size and distribution. During sintering, $BaTiO_3$ usually exhibits abnormal grain growth, which deteriorates considerably the ferroelectric properties. A typical technique to suppress the abnormal grain growth is the addition of dopants. Dopant addition, however, affects the ferroelectric properties and thus limits the application of $BaTiO_3$. Here, we report a simple but novel technique to prevent the abnormal grain growth of $BaTiO_3$ and to overcome the limitation of dopant use. The technique consists of stepwise sintering in a reducing atmosphere and in an oxidizing atmosphere. The materials prepared by the present technique exhibit uniform grain size and high dielectric properties. The technique should provide opportunities of having $BaTiO_3$-based materials with superior ferroelectric properties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.336-337
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• 2006

During sintering of cemented carbides abnormal grain growth is often observed but cannot be understood from the classical LSW-theory. A model based on 2-D nucleation of new crystalline layers and a grain-size distribution function is formulated and the equations are solved numerically. Experimental studies and computer simulations show that the initial grain size distribution has a strong effect on the grain growth behavior. For example, a fine-grained powder can grow past a coarser powder.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.104-108
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• 2018

Grain-growth behavior in the $95Na_{1/2}Bi_{1/2}TiO_3-5BaTiO_3$ (mole fraction, NBT-5BT) system has been investigated with the addition of $Na_2CO_3$. When $Na_2CO_3$ is added to NBT-5BT, the growth rate is higher than desired and grains are already impinging each other during the initial stage of sintering. The grain size decreases as the sintering temperature increases. With the addition of $Na_2CO_3$, a liquid phase infiltrates the interfaces between grains during sintering. The interface structure can be changed to be more faceted and the interface migration rate can increase due to fast material transport through the liquid phase. As the sintering temperature increases, the impingement of abnormal grains increases because the number of abnormal grains increases. Therefore, the average grain size of abnormal grains can be decreased as the temperature increases. The phenomenon can provide evidence that grain coarsening in NBT-5BT with addition of $Na_2CO_3$ is governed by the growth of facet planes, which would occur via mixed control.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.209-210
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• 2006

Organic binders are usually pre-mixed with ceramic powders to enhance the formability during the shape forming process. These binders, however, must be eliminated before sintering in order to avoid pore formation and unusual grain growth during sintering. The present work was performed to investigate the effects of residual binder on grain growth behavior during sintering of $Pb(Mg_{1/3}Nb_{2/3})O_3-PbTiO_3$ piezoelectric ceramics. The microstructures of sintered samples were examined for various thermal processes and atmosphere at debinding. Addition of binder seems to promote abnormal grain growth especially in incompletely debinded regions and to make the grain shape change from corner-rounded to faceted.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.641-647
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• 2011

The present study aims to identify the effect of sintering atmosphere [$O_2$, 75$N_2$-25 $H_2$ (mol%) and $H_2$] on microstructural evolution at the relatively low sintering temperature of 1040$^{\circ}C$. Samples sintered in $O_2$ showed a bimodal microstructure consisting of fine matrix grains and large abnormal grains. Sintering in 75 $N_2$ - 25 $H_2$ (mol %) and $H_2$ caused the extent of abnormal grain growth to increase. These changes in grain growth behaviour are explained by the effect of the change in step free energy with sintering atmosphere on the critical driving force necessary for rapid grain growth. The results show the possibility of fabricating $(K_{0.5}Na_{0.5})NbO_3$ at low temperature with various microstructures via proper control of sintering atmosphere.