Characteristics of the thermal and radiation-thermal sintering processes in the Eu2O3-TiO2 system

Abstract

The aim of this study was to discover, using the methods of x-ray phase analysis and scanning electron microscopy, the effects of TiO/sub 2/ additions on the densification process in the radiation-thermal and thermal sintering of Eu/sub 2/O/sub 3/. Under conditions of thermal sintering the activation of the densification process at 1773/sup 0/K was brought about by a liquid phase sintering mechanism, while its inhibition at relatively low temperatures was due to the retardation by the TiO/sub 2/ addition of the polymorphic transformation from the cubic Eu/sub 2/O/sub 3/ modification to the monoclinic, a process which promotes sintering. Radiation-thermal sintering of the Eu/sub 2/O/sub 3/ in a beam of accelerated electrons differed from sintering during conventional heating in that the polymorphic transformation was completed at all TiO/sub 2/ addition ratios as early as 1325/sup 0/K. Activation by the addition operated through a liquid-phase mechanism across the whole temperature range investigated.