Spark Plasma Sintering of Bismuth Titanate Ceramics

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used to fabricate bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12) ceramics. The densification, microstructure development and dielectric properties were investigated. It was found that the densification process was greatly enhanced during SPS. The sintering temperature was 200°C lower and the microstructure was much finer than that of the pressureless sintered ceramics, and dense compacts with a high density of over 99% were obtained at a wide temperature range of 800°–1100°C. Dielectric property measurement indicated that the volatilization of Bi3+ was greatly restrained during SPS, resulting in an unprecedented low dielectric loss for pure Bi4Ti3O12 ceramics.