ZnS wurtzite ceramic fabrication by a simple and cost‐effective pressureless sintering method: A microstructure development overview


Submitted: 30 June 2020
Accepted: 5 July 2020
Published: 28 September 2020
Abstract Views: 571
PDF: 267
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Authors

  • Radenka Krsmanović Whiffen ENEA SSPT-PROMAS-MATPRO, Materials Technology Division, Casaccia Research Centre, Rome, Italy.
  • Elena Salernitano ENEA SSPT-PROMAS-TEMAF, Laboratory of Materials Technologies, Faenza (RA), Italy.
  • Selene Grilli ENEA SSPT-PROMAS-TEMAF, Laboratory of Materials Technologies, Faenza (RA), Italy.
  • Giuseppe Magnani ENEA SSPT-PROMAS-TEMAF, Laboratory of Materials Technologies, Faenza (RA), Italy.
  • Francesca Mazzanti ENEA SSPT-PROMAS-TEMAF, Laboratory of Materials Technologies, Faenza (RA), Italy.
  • Luciano Pilloni ENEA SSPT-PROMAS-MATPRO, Materials Technology Division, Casaccia Research Centre, Rome, Italy.
  • Amelia Montone ENEA SSPT-PROMAS-MATPRO, Materials Technology Division, Casaccia Research Centre, Rome, Italy.

The Two-Step Sintering (TSS) process is a useful method to obtain sintered materials of high density and to limit the grain growth associated with the final stage of the sintering process. One of the main advantages of this method is the lowering of the sintering temperature. The development of bulk, dense and small grain size in the wurtzite phase of the ZnS ceramic was investigated by using a micron-sized ZnS powder as a precursor material. The microstructure and morphology of the TSS-fabricated ZnS ceramic pellets were observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and compared to those produced by the conventional sintering process. The ZnS ceramic produced using the TSS method at 1100°C showed comparable density and a much finer microstructure (five times smaller grain size) than the ZnS ceramic produced using conventional sintering at 1250°C. It was demonstrated that the TSS process is a pressureless, simple and cost‐effective sintering method, able to deliver high density bulk, wurtzite phase ZnS ceramics with controlled grain size.  


Supporting Agencies

European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant, Piano triennale di realizzazione 2019-2021 della ricerca di sistema elettrico nazionale – Progetto 1.3 Materiali di frontiera per usi energetici

Krsmanović Whiffen, R., Salernitano, E., Grilli, S., Magnani, G., Mazzanti, F., Pilloni, L., & Montone, A. (2020). ZnS wurtzite ceramic fabrication by a simple and cost‐effective pressureless sintering method: A microstructure development overview. Microscopie, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/microscopie.2020.9203

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