Microwave assisted synthesis and sintering of La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17O2.815

A novel method to produce dense bodies of SrO- and MgO-doped LaGaO3 (LSGM) ceramics by microwave assisted processing in 10 min is reported. The heating was carried out using Na-beta"-alumina as the microwave susceptor. The phase purity and electrical properties of the microwave processed samples were determined and compared with a conventionally processed material. LSGM with a composition La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17O2.815 always yielded a two-phase mixture though the presence of second phase did not affect the conductivity significantly at lower temperatures. The microstructure was more uniform in the case of the microwave sintered material. 16 refs.