Flash Sintering Samaria-Doped Ceria–Carbon Nanotube Composites

Abstract

Composite ceramic green pellets were prepared by attrition milling a mixture of (CeO2)0.8(Sm2O3)0.2 (samaria-doped ceria, SDC) ceramic powder and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), followed by uniaxial and isostatic pressing. The pellets were sintered inside a dilatometer by applying AC electric fields at 850 °C and limiting the electric current to 1 A, achieving 20.2% final shrinkage. The SDC samples reached 13.3% shrinkage under the same conditions. Higher average grain sizes were measured in specimens flash sintered with CNTs. Impedance spectroscopy analyses show that the specimens flash sintered with addition of CNTs have higher electrical conductivity. Higher delivered Joule heating at the interfaces due to the presence of the electronic conductors (CNTs) are proposed as the main reason for that improvement of the electrical behavior.