Preparation of Dense Ta2O5-Based Ceramics by a Coated Powder Method for Enhanced Dielectric Properties.

A hybrid solution-coated powder method was used to reduce the sintering temperature of TiO2-modified Ta2O5 ceramics. This simple and effective method allowed chemical homogenization and densification to take place below a densification-impeding phase transformation, something that has not been achieved by traditional mixed oxide processing. Combining the coated powder method with a two-stage heat treatment (by which specimens were first densified and then transformed into the high dielectric constant H-Ta2O5 phase) enabled the realization of dense and homogeneous 92Ta2O5–8TiO2 ceramics with dielectric constant values up to 280 at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]