Pressureless Sintering Research Articles

Study on one-step fast CRN mechanism for preparing fine AlON powder using carbon coated γ-Al2O3/C precursor

By pre-milling in glucose aqueous solution, γ-Al2O3 particles were uniformly mixed with carbon via hydrothermal treatment technique. Then, directly heating the γ-Al2O3/C precursor at 50 °C/min to 1775 °C for 15–30 min in N2, single phase AlON powder was fast obtained through one-step carbothermal reduction and nitridation (CRN). By approaching the evolution of phase assemblages and morphology during heating and dwelling, the one-step fast CRN mechanism for preparing fine AlON powder was revealed. The carbon around γ-Al2O3 particles delayed the phase transformation of Al2O3 from γ phase to α one. The undesired particle aggregation and growth before formation of AlON was also auxiliarily inhibited by swiftly achieving AlON formation temperature via high heating speed. Further elevating synthesis temperature enabled high reaction kinetics to boost the speed of AlON formation. By these ways, CRN reactions were quickly completed to fast obtain pure AlON powder with small primary particles due to limited particle aggregation and growth. The as-prepared fine AlON powder was easy to be ball-milled to prepare highly transparent AlON ceramics by pressureless sintering.

Conventional sintering of nano-crystalline Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia enables high-strength, highly translucent and opalescent dental ceramics

Development of restorative materials capable of mimicking optical and mechanical performance of natural teeth is a quest in aesthetic density. Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) ceramics represent one of the most popular choices for dental restorations, owing to their biocompatibility, white colour, and the possibility to use CAD-CAM technologies. In particular, YSZ doped with 3 mol. % yttria (3YSZ) is popular because it presents high strength. Nonetheless, the limited light transmission of commercially available high strength 3YSZ does not meet the requirements of highly aesthetic cases. On the other side, YSZ presenting a larger portion of yttria are more translucent but exhibit modest strength. Here, we report on fabrication of dense zirconia nanostructures in bulk form via conventional pressure-less sintering at temperatures down to 1100–1200 °C, achieving highly translucent and strong 3YSZ with significant opalescent behaviour. Both Hall−Petch and inverse Hall-Petch relationship were observed in 3YSZ samples with average grain size in the range of 250 nm and 55 nm, demonstrating the importance of grain size control to enhance both optical and mechanical properties of zirconia ceramics, simultaneously. Maximum biaxial strength of 1980 ± 260 MPa, in-line light transmission of 38% in the visible spectrum and opalescence approaching that of enamel were obtained at optimum grain size of 80 ± 5 nm. The notable optical properties are linked to the miniaturization of the residual pores and refinement of grain size towards the nanoscale while the superior mechanical strength is justified by the activation of different energy dissipation processes at nano and macroscale.

Dual sinter-aids to fabricate high-entropy transition metal carbide ceramic and their properties

Due to excellent performances and easy adjustability, more and more researchers pay attention to high-entropy ceramics, which can be applied in many fields. In this work, a high-entropy transition metal carbide ceramic, (Hf0.2Ta0.2Zr0.2Nb0.2W0.2)C, was fabricated by pressureless sintering method. To obtain highly dense ceramic, dual sintering aids (Cr3C2 and C), are employed in the sintering process. Owing to suitable microstructure (grain size and defect density), the ceramics exhibit excellent electric conductivity(0.7040 MS/m) and flexural strength (378 ± 11.4 MPa). Meanwhile, the relationship between electromagnetic shielding effectiveness and different aid content in the X-band is also investigated. The P3 ceramic with a thickness of 1 mm can achieve an EMI shielding efficiency of 92 dB in the X-band as a result of the stronger interface polarization and relaxation effects. High-entropy ceramic obtained in this work would give a different way to fabricate shielding material and can promote the use of high-entropy ceramics as effective EMI shielding materials.

Valorization of wood ash for sustainable in situ reinforced Ti composites with tailorable mechanical behavior manufactured via powder metallurgy

The aim of this work is to investigate the feasibility of revalorizing commonly disposed wood ash as source to produce more sustainable in situ reinforced Ti composites. We propose a manufacturing process based on the powder metallurgy green technology and further increase the energy efficiency of the process by analyzing reactive induction sintering as the primary consolidation method. The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated through the characterization of the physical, microstructural, and mechanical performance. It is found that compressibility decreases and the amount of residual porosity increases (6.0–11.7% for pressureless sintering) with the amount of wood ash used (0–0.25 wt%). However, the effective in situ creation of the reinforcement is always guaranteed by the proposed approach. Furthermore, minor adjustments of the manufacturing route can be used to maximize the amount of ash to be added for higher sustainability. The in situ reinforced Ti composites are commonly characterized by both elastic and plastic deformation and fail non-catastrophically, where for vacuum sintering ductility decreases (13.7 → 8.7%) but strength (497 → 653 MPa) and hardness (47.8 → 55.0 HRA) increase with the amount of ash used. The in situ reinforced Ti composites produced from revalorized wood ash have overall comparable or better mechanical properties in comparison to other Ti-based composites bearing a higher amount of generally more expensive reinforcements.

Nanoindentation and isothermal compression behaviour of Al–4Cu–Ni composites

The present investigation explores the nanoindentation and isothermal compression behaviour of Al–4Cu-xNi (x = 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 wt%) Aluminium matrix composites produced by pressureless sintering technique. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses of sintered samples reveal the presence of core-shell type Al3Ni and Al3Ni2 intermetallic formation at the interface between Ni particulates and the Al–Cu matrix. Nanoindentation study shows hardness of 1.55 ± 0.15, 4.65 ± 0.44, 21.02 ± 0.42, 13.17 ± 0.13, 5.53 ± 0.89, 6.28 ± 0.19, 8.39 ± 0.14 GPa corresponding to α-Al matrix, Ni, Al3Ni2, Ni and Al3Ni2 interface, Al3Ni, and their respective interface. The composite containing 10 wt % Ni possesses the highest yield strength at room temperature. At 200 °C it could retain 54 % of its room temperature strength (91 MPa). The HR-TEM analysis shows that particulate and precipitation hardening was the predominant mechanisms during the initial stage of an isothermal compression. However, as the compression progressed, the pinning effect, dynamic recovery (DRV), and work hardening mechanisms became active. According to the current study findings, interface qualities substantially impact composite performance at both room temperature and elevated temperatures. The creation of strong intermetallic compounds (Al3Ni2 and Al3Ni) due to an intensive endothermic interaction between the Al and Ni particles is linked to this effect.

Multiple relaxation behavior of Cf/mullite composites and their electromagnetic wave performance at high temperatures

Reliability and stability of electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) materials used in high-temperature fields such as aircraft and aero-engines are of great interest. In this regard, the Cf/mullite composites with an opportune heterogeneous interface were fabricated using gel-casting and pressureless sintering techniques. The as-prepared composites exhibited excellent EMA performance with multiple relaxation behavior upon increasing testing temperature ranging from 25 °C to 800 °C (the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −62.67 dB with a thin thickness of 2 mm at 600 °C). The results demonstrated that the temperature-dependence complex permittivity with multiple relaxation characteristics plays a key role for the EMA performance evolution. The newly generated Cole-Cole semicircle and κ curves with an increasing number of intersections at zero values suggest that the polarization relaxation is enhanced with rising temperatures, thus improving the EMA capacity. It is believed that the Cf/mullite composite could be a new promising EMA material at high temperatures.

Stabilization of metastable γ-co: Combustion synthesis and rapid processing

This study reports a novel method for stabilizing the metastable γ-Co phase, which has a face-centered cubic structure. This phase is known for its challenging synthesis due to its tendency to transform into the stable hexagonal-closed packed (ε-Co) allotrope. Combustion synthesis and a rapid pressure-less sintering approach overcome the traditional barriers to γ-Co preparation. The combustion process involves exothermic reactions in a solution of cobalt nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine, generating enough heat to increase the synthesis temperature above the γ↔ε phase transition temperature (∼690 K). Rapid cooling of the solid product by gases is critical to preventing the reverse transition to ε-Co, thus stabilizing the γ-Co phase with a minimal amount of the stable phase. Thermal analysis has demonstrated that the decomposition of cobalt nitrates hexahydrate leads to the formation of cobalt oxides. These oxides are then reduced to Co by methane (CH4) and hydrazine (N2H4), released during hexamethylenetetramine decomposition. Kinetic data analysis shows that the rate-limiting step in forming Co is the CH4 (or N2H4)-mediated reduction of CoO. When subjected to rapid pressure-less sintering at 1275 K, the combustion synthesized materials consolidate into compact samples with a relative density of ∼90 % and micrometer-size grains. High-resolution electron microscopy investigation shows increased lattice dislocation due to the ε→γ transition at high-temperature processing. Prepared γ-Co exhibits a higher nanohardness and Young's modulus than ε-Co prepared by slow melt solidification and rolling methods.

Pressureless sintered high-entropy transition metal diboride ceramics doped with yttrium tetraboride

High entropy diborides (HEBs) are new candidates of ultra-high temperature ceramics. However, it is difficult to obtain dense HEB ceramics via pressureless sintering. In this study, yttrium tetraboride (YB4) was introduced to consolidate (Ti0.25Zr0.25Hf0.25Ta0.25)B2 (4TMB2) ceramics and its effects on the microstructures and mechanical properties were studied. YB4 addition facilitates the densification and grain elongation of 4TMB2 ceramics by forming eutectic liquid phases and eliminating oxide impurities. Relative density of 4TMB2 ceramics containing 5 vol% YB4 reaches to 94.4 % after pressureless sintered at 2000 °C for 3 h. The hardness and toughness determined by indention method are 26.9±1.5 GPa and 5.73±1.65 MPa∙m1/2. This ceramics also exhibit excellent four-point bending creep resistance with the strain rate of 1.48×10−7 s−1 at 1900 °C under 20 MPa. The observed creep behavior is attributed to grain boundary sliding, plastic deformation, grain refinement and enhanced atomic diffusion of Y element, all driven by high-temperature stresses.

Facile synthesis of high entropy carbide-nickel based cermets by in-situ carbo-thermal reduction of transition metal oxides

Equimolar and non-equimolar high entropy carbide-nickel based cermets were successfully prepared by in-situ carbo-thermal reduction of constituent metal oxides in a single pressureless vacuum sintering cycle at 1420°C. The carbon content in quinary (Ti0.2V0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2W0.2)Cx-10wt.%Ni and senary (Ti0.2V0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2W0.1Mo0.1)Cx-10wt.% Ni high entropy carbide cermets was varied (x = 0.6–1.0). Two-phase HEC-Ni cermets were formed at x = 0.75–0.85, whereas M6C (η-phase) and graphite phase coexisted at lower and higher carbon contents (x = 0.6, 0.9 and 1.0) in both HEC 5 and HEC 6 systems. In HEC 5, submicrometric WC precipitates were observed, which were attributed to the limited solubility of hexagonal-WC within the in-situ formed HEC 5 phase, contrasting with HEC 6 where no such precipitations were formed across the entire carbon content range. The partial replacement of W with Mo in the (Ti0.2V0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2W0.1Mo0.1)Cx-10 wt% Ni cermets promoted solid solution formation at lower temperature, and the grain size and hardness decreased and the fracture toughness increased. Both HEC-Ni cermets showed a homogeneous distribution of elements within the carbide phase, resulting in (HV30) hardness around 16 GPa and a fracture toughness around 8 MPa.m1/2. The phase evolution was systematically investigated by interrupting the sintering cycle at 600–1400 °C, employing XRD analysis. Thermodynamic calculations were performed to predict the critical reaction temperatures for carbo-thermal reduction. To evaluate the intrinsic mechanical properties of each phase and establish the correlation with microstructural features, micromechanical mapping was performed utilizing the high-speed nano-indentation technique.

Rapid densification of low-positive thermal expansion Al2W3O12 ceramics

The Al2W3O12 ceramic with near-zero thermal expansion is a promising candidate for thermal shock resistance applications. However, the often-reported microcracks in the microstructure hinder the practical use of Al2W3O12. This work focuses on optimising the material processing—powder synthesis, calcination, milling, and sintering—to prepare dense polycrystalline Al2W3O12 with fine microcrack-free microstructure. The amorphous powder produced by the co-precipitation method had the highest specific surface area reported for this material, resulting in improved sinterability. Two rapid sintering methods were employed—Rapid Pressure-less Sintering and Spark Plasma Sintering. Both methods led to shorter processing times and lower sintering temperatures. However, Al2W3O12 samples produced by Spark Plasma Sintering were nearly fully dense with a density of ∼98% of theoretical density, the best value reported to date for this phase. The obtained fine crack-free microstructure of the samples led to a superior mechanical response compared to that achieved by Rapid Pressure-less Sintering.

FEM and machine learning aided modelling of compressive deformation anisotropy in pressure-less sintered Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy

Pressure-less sintering integrated forging is an effective method for densification enhancement of powder metallurgy (PM) processed Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy. Nevertheless, compressive deformation anisotropy associated with uniaxial forging creates heterogeneous deformation zones containing residual porosity, resulting in strength degradation of the PM alloy. This work introduces a novel approach for mitigating the anisotropy arising from forging by characterising the compressive deformation heterogeneity using a synergy of finite element method (FEM) and machine learning (ML) approaches. Results obtained from Gurson model-based FEM simulation of uniaxial forging process indicate that decreasing the aspect ratio (AR) of sintered preform leads to reduction in plastic deformation heterogeneity. Additionally, the semi supervised ML framework developed here unravels three distinct strain hardening regimes and predicts an upward paradigm shift in the quantitative distribution of instantaneous strain hardening exponent with the decrease in AR. These computational predictions align with the experimental forging results which demonstrate substantial enhancement in strain hardenability, formability and densification of lower AR preform due to more uniform deformation. Uniaxially forged compact depicted a notable increase of 14 % in relative density along with significant improvement in hardness by 66 % as compared to the sintered compact, which can be attributed to forging induced pore elimination at microstructural level. The promising results obtained in this study have practical implications in the development of sustainable green manufacturing technology to produce high strength porosity tailored Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy.

Study on the microstructure and properties of TiB2-CoCrFeNiW0.2 metal ceramic composites prepared by pressureless sintering

Three types of TiB2-HEA ceramic composite were prepared using a non-equimolar ratio CoCrFeNiW0.2 high entropy alloy (HEA) as a binder, mechanical alloying (MA), and 1600 °C pressureless sintering (PS) processes. The phase analysis results indicate the presence of TiB2, FCC, and TCP phases in the TiB2-HEA composite. A detailed study was conducted on the microstructure of TiB2-HEA composite. The results indicate that there is a certain solid solubility between TiB2 and HEA. The Ti and B elements in TiB2 will enter HEA, and the elements in HEA will also enter TiB2. Along with the discovery of many lattice distortion regions in TiB2, a diffraction pattern of P-43m cubic structure was also observed in HEA. HEA has good wettability with TiB2, so it can not only inhibit the grain growth of TiB2, but also improve the performance of TiB2-HEA composite by utilizing the inherent excellent properties of HEA. There are both intergranular and transgranular fractures in the TiB2-HEA composite. The relative density, flexural strength, Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, and electrical resistivity of TiB2-30 wt%HEA are 99.7%, 680 MPa, 18.6 GPa, 6.4 MPa m1/2, and 5.7 × 10−7 Ω m, respectively.

Microstructure and thermoelectric properties of porous CaMnO3/CaMn2O4 composite prepared by spray solution combustion synthesis

Oxides are attractive and promising compounds for application as thermoelectric materials owing to thermal and chemical stability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental safety. In this work, CaMnO3 perovskite hollow spheres were synthesized by spray solution combustion synthesis. The effect of the fuel glycine on the phase composition, morphology, and microstructure of CaMnO3 was studied, and the influence of synthesis parameters on the characteristics of the sintered materials was investigated. The porous CaMnO3 (porosity 10–20%) forms by pressureless sintering at 1473 K, which is accompanied by the precipitation of marokite CaMn2O4. It is possible to alter the porosity level as well as marokite and pore size in the CaMnO3/CaMn2O4 composite by tailoring the fuel amount, which, in turn, affects the thermoelectric properties. The zT value of 0.13 at 1073 K, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest zT reported for the undoped CaMnO3 material.

How does cold sintering affect the microstructural evolution of high-entropy pyrochlore during pressureless sintering?

The challenge of producing dense fine-grained high-entropy ceramics is hereby addressed by a combined cold and conventional pressureless sintering method for the first time. It provides nearly fully dense high-entropy pyrochlores with better microstructural homogeneity, and only half the grain size of conventional pressurelessly sintered samples with identical density. Both the finer and more homogeneous microstructures benefit better mechanical properties in hardness and reduced Young’s modulus. The kinetics and activation energies of both densification and grain growth were quantified and discussed to understand how cold sintering affects the microstructural evolution during the following pressureless sintering. More importantly, cathodoluminescence analysis suggested that cold sintering could cause more defects on the surface of the original particles, which could promote the grain boundary diffusion and have drag effects on grain boundary motion. The lessons learned here offer scientific understanding and technological guidance towards pressureless sintering of dense bulk high-entropy ceramics.

Study on magnesia alumina spinel heat storage ceramics for solar thermal power generation

AbstractSolar thermal storage ceramic materials use photothermal power generation technology to store heat energy, which is an important way to use clean energy and reduce carbon emissions. In this paper, MgAl2O4 ceramics were prepared by pressureless sintering with fused magnesia and α‐Al2O3 as the primary raw materials and TiO2 as the additive. The phase composition, microstructure, physical properties, thermal shock resistance, and thermal physical properties of MgAl2O4 thermal storage ceramics were studied. The results show that the main crystalline phase of B4 is MgAl2O4 and the secondary crystalline phase is MgTi2O5. Ti4+ is dissolved into MgAl2O4 lattice, which distorts the lattice, reduces activation energy, and promotes sintering. The sample B4 (69.73 wt% α‐Al2O3, 30.27 wt% fused magnesia, and 7 wt% TiO2) sintered at 1510°C had the best comprehensive physical properties, and its bending strength and bulk density were 89.41 MPa and 3.27 g/cm3, respectively. After 30 thermal shock cycles, the bending strength of the sample B4 is slightly lost. The thermal stress generated during the expansion and contraction of the grain volume led to the decrease of the bending strength. From room temperature to 1000°C, the specific heat capacity of sample B4 is .44–1.25 J/(g·K). The heat capacity increases with the increase of temperature, and the heat storage density increases. The heat storage density is 1218.75 kJ/kg (1000°C). Heat capacity increases with temperature due to intensified lattice vibration at high temperatures. Therefore, magnesia alumina spinel ceramics show great potential in solar thermal energy storage.

Additive manufacturing of yttria-stabilized zirconia using digital light processing: Green density and surface roughness analysis

The amalgamation of digital light processing (DLP) technology and pressureless sintering has emerged as a promising method for producing delicate, complex, and custom-made yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) components. The procedure consists of fabrication of green part using DLP, debinding to remove the binders and sintering to densify the parts. Explorations in the parameter selection in each step are still far from maturity for producing defect-free densified parts. This study addresses the effect of DLP print parameters on the density of green parts and surface irregularities. DLP printing parameters, such as layer thickness, orientation, and light intensity, were selected, and a central composite design methodology was adopted for the design of experiments to investigate the impact of individual parameter as well as their interactions. The density of the green part decreased with an increase in layer thickness from 10 μm to 70 μm, whereas an increase in density was observed when the part orientation changed from 0 ° to 90°, and the intensity changed from 10 to 50 mW/cm2. The variations in layer thickness and part orientation substantially impact the surface roughness, but variations in intensity have comparatively less influence on the surface roughness. The in-layer and inter-layer voids of the samples fabricated with varying parameters were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. The minimum surface roughness and maximum green part density responses were obtained using regression equations and a multi-objective optimization strategy. Subsequently, the samples were debinded and sintered to produce high-density zirconia components. To establish the importance of parameter optimization, a comparison of the specimen density and surface irregularity in the green and sintered states was performed for specimens fabricated with optimized parameters and a randomly chosen set of parameters. The novel study provides the parametric relation to fabricate as desired green and sintered density parts along with tuned surface roughness.

Influence of additives and stoichiometry amounts in the manufacturing of [formula omitted] components by laser powder bed fusion process combined with pressureless sintering

Influence of additives (micro-alloying), niobium addition, and stoichiometry amounts on parts characteristics, in the manufacturing of Ti2AlC components by laser powder bed fusion process are investigated. The experiment is conducted with an optimal powder composition labeled Nb(O1) comprising a significant reduction of carbon amount to half of Ti2AlC stoichiometry set to fabricate high-density part with an improved wear-resistance and hardness, via processing conditions similar to those found optimal from previous work. A part with relative bulk and skeletal density as high as 80 % and 92 % respectively was achieved. Details of all obvious aspects of laser and powder interaction, such as absorptivity and wettability problems, on the resulting microstructure (porosity) and properties of parts are discussed.

Preparation of transparent AlON ceramics with controlled shapes by a novel spontaneous coagulation casting and pressureless sintering method

Aluminum oxynitride (AlON) exhibits excellent mechanical properties and good optical transparency in the ultraviolet to near-infrared range and can be used in military and civilian fields. However, the troublesome molding of AlON, especially for complex shapes, limits its promotion and application. Therefore, transparent AlON ceramics with complex morphologies were prepared for the first time by a novel spontaneous coagulation casting (SCC) and pressureless sintering method. In this study, we report a simple carbothermal reduction and nitridation (CRN) method for synthesizing high-purity AlON powder, which is especially suitable for wet casting without anti-hydration treatment. The dispersion and gelation behavior of AlON slurries by isobutene maleic anhydride copolymer (Isobam104) and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) were extensively investigated. With the addition of 0.9 wt% Isobam104 and 15 mL/L TMAH, the AlON slurries can achieve a solids loading of up to 45 vol% with the lowest viscosity (460.4 mPa·s-10 r/min) and the AlON green body is free of cracks and deformation during drying and demolding processes. Finally, the AlON green bodies with square and polygonal irregular morphologies were fabricated via a simple SCC method. High transparent AlON ceramics of a maximum transmittance up to 77.3% at 2000 nm and 72.2% at 632 nm were obtained by pressureless sintered at 2000 °C for 6 h. The SCC method has great potential in preparing ceramics with controllable shapes.

Pressureless sintering behavior of ZrC ceramic particles encapsulated by nano-sized carbon layer

The typical high-density zirconium carbide (ZrC) ceramic requires high temperature and high pressure, leading to high manufacturing cost for complex shapes. Herein, nano-sized carbon layer encapsulated ZrC particles were pressureless sintered to achieve near-net preparation of high-density and complex-shape ZrC ceramic. The results indicate that reaction between carbon layer and the ZrCxOy phase in ZrC was improved because the carbon layer shortened the oxygen diffusion pathway. The oxygen content decreased from 3.52 wt% to 0.82 wt% while the thickness of carbon layer decreased from 4.0 nm to 0.75 nm after sintering at 1950 °C for 1 h. Furthermore, the migration of oxygen from ZrCxOy phase to the carbon layer effectively facilitate the formation and growth of the sintering neck. The resulting ZrC ceramic exhibited a high relative density of 92.3 % and excellent mechanical properties. The Vickers hardness, indentation fracture toughness, micro hardness, elastic modulus, and flexural strength were 17.3 ± 0.7 GPa, 4.0 ± 0.5 MPa m1/2, 22.2 ± 2.4 GPa, 429.9 ± 20.7 GPa, and 324 ± 8 MPa, respectively. This work provides a novel perspective to fabricate near-net, high-density and complex-shape ZrC ceramic at lower temperature without pressure.

Microstructural evolution during densification process of neodymium-doped indium zinc oxide ceramic targets and application for high mobility films

Oxide targets are crucial materials for transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films used in optoelectronic devices. In this study, neodymium-doped indium zinc oxide (NdIZO) ceramic targets were prepared using an advanced pressureless oxygen atmosphere sintering process. By optimizing the experimental conditions, the best sintering parameters were obtained, resulting in dense, fine-grained, and uniformly microstructured NdIZO targets. The influence mechanism of different Nd doping concentrations on the phase composition, microstructure evolution, and electrical properties of the targets during the process of oxide composite powder, green body shaping, and sintering densification was analyzed in detail. The results showed that the pretreatment of the composite powder improved its dispersibility, and sintering activity. The NdIZO-2 target with an atomic ratio of Nd:In:Zn = 0.02:1:1, fabricated under optimal conditions, exhibited high density of 99.8 %, low resistivity of 5.2 mΩ cm, and an average grain size of about 3.9 μm, thereby demonstrating the best comprehensive performance. Moreover, the sputtered films prepared using NdIZO-2 targets also showed excellent properties with transmittance (T) of 88.1 %, electron mobility (μe) of 31.5 cm2/Vs, and resistivity (ρ) of 7.5 × 10−3 Ω cm. This work provides theoretical support for the preparation of high-quality indium zinc oxide (IZO) ceramic targets and their application in high-performance optoelectronic thin film devices.