Sintering properties of ZnO-TiO2 composite

In this study, we investigated the structural transformation of ZnO-TiO2 composite ceramics with different molar compositions, sintering temperatures, and sintering environments. The 1:1 mole ratio sample was sintered at different temperatures of 600°C, 700°C, 900°C, and 1000°C in air. The phase transformations were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. At 900°C and above, composite peaks of ZnTiO3 and Zn2TiO4, and the tetragonal rutile phase of TiO2 began to develop. Then, samples with different molar ratios of ZnO and TiO2 (9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, 5:5) were sintered at 1000°C in air and vacuum. At the sintering temperature of 1000°C, composite peaks of ZnTiO3 and Zn2TiO4 were present in all molar ratios in both air-sintered and vacuum-sintered samples. However, the pure peaks corresponding to TiO2 vanished in the air-sintered samples, while pure peaks corresponding to ZnO and TiO2 were present in the vacuum-sintered samples.