Cold Sintering of ZnO Ceramic in Water Medium: Test Demonstration

Abstract

A study of the compaction of zinc oxide powder under conditions reproducing the cold sintering process, described in 2017 by C. Randall’s research group in the USA, is presented. The obtained results show that a dense ceramic can be obtained from zinc oxide by pressing (pressing pressure p = 77 MPa) in a water medium at temperatures 220 – 250°C. It was found that in the course of pressing two processes occur under the indicated conditions — compaction and grain growth, which are characteristic for sintering. It is shown that the cold sintering process is reproducible. Further research in this direction is warranted.