Microwave heating offers advantages over conventional technologies such as rapid heating, internal heating and preferential heating. Microwave sintering of ceramics was performed using the heating control system and single mode cavity developed for this study. This study investigates the feasibility of the microwave sintering for electronic ceramics, e.g. ZnO varistors and PZT, in terms of densification, microstructure, mechanical and electric properties.

ZnO varistors sintered by microwaves indicated higher nonlineality factors than those sintered by a conventional process using an electric furnace. PZT obtained by microwave sintering had a high strength due to its high density and small grain size compared with that obtained by conventional sintering. Furthermore, since the sintering reaction of PZT ceramics was accelerated by microwave radiation, they also had high electric properties.

Thus, the microwave sintering is characterized by a low sintering temperature and a short soaking time and can be expected to sinter ceramics with both high strength and high electric properties.
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