Dilatometer analysis of sintering behavior of nano-CeO2 particles

Dilatometer analysis was conducted for nano-CeO2 particles, with varying green densities. A bimodal shrinkage rate was noticed for nano-particles with respect to temperature, while a single mode was observed for submicron particles. With a decrease in green density, the intensity of the low temperature peak in the bimodal shrinkage rate increased compared with that of the high temperature peak. The activation energies of nano-CeO2 sintering estimated by the master sintering curve were 370 and 440 kJ/mol for temperature ranges near the low temperature peak and near the high temperature peak, respectively, while the activation energy of submicron-CeO2 sintering was 420 kJ/mol. The low temperature peak characterised the sintering behaviour of nano-CeO2, and this peak was responsible for the enhancement in the sinterability of green compacts with low density. 11 refs.