Preparation and properties of fine BaCeO3 powders for low-temperature sintering

Detailed characterization of BaCeO3 powders prepared through different chemical homogenization processes demonstrates that pyrolysis of coprecipitated oxalates ensures the smallest crystallite size and the highest rate of phase formation among the processes examined. Increasing the heating rate during the thermal decomposition of oxalates reduces the average crystallite size and the strength of aggregates in the powder. Sintering of the resultant barium cerate powders at 1000°C in the presence of cupric oxide enables the preparation of ceramics with a density above 90% of theoretical density. The low-temperature liquid-phase sinterability of BaCeO3 powders depends crucially on the presence of residual impurity phases, which notably reduce the shrinkage rate.