Thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties of Gd2O3 doped cordierite ceramics

In this study, we utilized the solid-state synthesis method to prepare a Gd 2 O 3 -doped cordierite ceramic (0–12.5 wt%). Our objective was to investigate the effects of Gd 2 O 3 doping on various properties, including phase composition, microstructure, sintering characteristics, thermal expansion, mechanical strength, and dielectric properties of cordierite ceramics. Our findings indicated that the introduction of Gd 3+ ions had a significant impact on the formation of the cordierite phase, the reduction of spinel impurity, and the growth of grain size, leading to a decrease in the coefficient of thermal expansion. As the amount of Gd 2 O 3 doping increased, the coefficient of thermal expansion decreased from 2.91 × 10 –6 /°C to 2.15 × 10 –6 /°C. We achieved the highest flexural strength of 68.54 ± 2.36 MPa in cordierite ceramic doping with 10 wt% Gd 2 O 3 due to optimal densification. Moreover, the quality factor increased from 30,400 GHz to 64,800 GHz, and the dielectric constant ranged from 4.08 to 6.19.