Microwave sintering versus conventional sintering of NiCuZn ferrites. Part I: Densification evolution

This work reports the recent study on the microwave sintering (MS) versus conventional sintering (CS) of NiCuZn ferrites, with particular interests in the densification evolution. NiCuZn ferrite powders were synthesized through the solid state reaction route. Densification behaviors of ferrite samples under the two types of thermal sources were monitored in real-time. Meanwhile, the influences of additives (1 wt% BSZ glass or 1 wt% Bi₂O₃) on the densifications were also investigated. Both constant heating rate (CHR) and master sintering curve (MSC) models were used to evaluate the sintering activation energy (Q). Results demonstrated that the microwave-enhanced diffusion mainly occurs at the intermediate sintering stage. The Q-value estimated by MSC method agreed well with that from CHR method. With the influence of microwave electromagnetic field, the activation energy of NiCuZn ferrites was decreased by roughly 100-150 kJ/mol. In addition, doping a small amount of additives could improve densification degree and reduce the minimal energy to activate diffusion mechanisms.