Sintering of ZnO and TiO(2) Nanostructures

This work demonstrates a calcination-free solid-state sintering process using ZnO nanowires and TiO(2) nanostructures as starting materials. The ZnO nanowires and TiO(2) nanowires were synthesized separately using chemical-solution methods. Two sets of samples were prepared for sintering. One was composed of the ZnO nanowires + TiO(2) nanowires and the other of ZnO nanowire + TiO(2) nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were applied to study the phase and structure of the synthesized materials. Differential thermal analysis was performed to elucidate the thermal stability. The sintered ZnO nanowires + TiO(2) nanowires sample was compared with the ZnO nanowires + TiO(2) nanoparticles and found to have unique behaviors and promising microwave dielectric properties. This study exploits the hybrid application of the ZnO and TiO(2) nanostructures, which has great potential for application in ceramic processes in which a low sintering temperature is desired. Hopefully, this process will be applied to various oxide nanostructures and ceramic systems. (C) 2008 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.2987699] All rights reserved.