Effect of annealing on microstructure of CuO-doped (Zr0 8Sn0 2)TiO4

Zirconium titanate ceramics and specifically the (Zr0 8Sn0 2)TiO4 (ZST) are the preferred materials for use in resonators or filters working at microwave frequency However the problem with these materials is their high sintering temperature which is as high as 1550 C In this research the influence of different amounts of CuO additions on the densification and microstructure evaluations of ZST ceramics modified with 1 wt% ZnO has been studied in two different states before and after annealing Results showed that annealing process at 1250 C resulted in some changes in density grain size and shape due to the rearrangement of liquid phase and its reactivation but no secondary phase was detected Also variations in lattice parameters during annealing compared to those of as-sintered specimens suggested the possibility of disorder-order transformation during long time high temperature heat treatment process (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved