Microwave sintering of ZnO at ultra high heating rates

In this paper, a unique processing approach for producing a tailored, externally controlled microstructure in zinc oxide using very high heating rates (to 4900 °C/min) in a microwave environment is discussed. Detailed data on the densification, grain growth, and grain size uniformity as a function of heating rate are presented. With increasing heating rate, the grain size decreased while grain size uniformity increased. At extremely high heating rates, high density can be achieved with almost complete suppression of grain growth. Ultrarapid microwave heating of ZnO also enhanced densification rates by up to 4 orders of magnitude compared to slow microwave heating. The results indicate that the densification mechanisms are different for slow and rapid heating rates. Since the mechanical, thermal, dielectric, and optical properties of ceramics depend on microstructure, ultrarapid heating may lead to advanced ceramics with tailored microstructure and enhanced properties.