XRD Study of Eu2O3-ZrO2 Feedstock Powders and Sintered Materials
S. Jucha a, G. Moskal b, M. Mikuśkiewicz b and M. Stopyra b
aDepartment of Production Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Z. Krasińskiego 8, 40-019 Katowice, Poland
bInstitute of Materials Science, Silesian University of Technology, Z. Krasińskiego 8, 40-019 Katowice, Poland
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Presented article described synthesis process of nonstoichiometric europium zirconate by solid state reaction between weight-equal mixture of ZrO2 and Eu2O3 feedstock powders. To final material synthesis high temperature vacuum press was used as well as a free standing process of sintering. As a result europium zirconates were obtained. X-ray diffraction characterization revealed that relatively homogeneous materials were synthesised but scanning electron microscopy analysis showed many areas with nonhomogeneous composition. On the base of X-ray diffraction patterns, characterization of crystallite size as well as a lattice strain were calculated. The Williamson-Hall, Halder-Wagner and Cauchy-Gauss methods were used to make the calculations. Obtained data showed that there was no significant differences between crystallite size with zirconate materials obtained by solid state reaction at temperature 1350°C in vacuum press and by free standing process. The short heating at higher temperature (1450°C/5 h) has no influence on crystallite size as well, but 24 h of additional heating strongly increases the crystallite size.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.130.866
PACS numbers: 81.05.Je, 81.05.Mh, 61.05.C-, 77.84.Bw