Fast firing of lead magnesium niobate at low temperature

A fast-firing technique for the sintering of lead magnesium niobate relaxer ceramics at relatively low temperature has been described, In this process, the samples containing excess PbO (up to 5 wt. %) are directly introduced into a furnace maintained at a temperature of 950 degrees C and kept there for 15-80 min, followed by a postsintering annealing treatment at 800 degrees C for 10 h. The importance of fast heating as well as annealing treatment has been justified. The sintered samples are near-phase-pure perovskite materials showing high bulk densities (>94%), uniform and dense microstructure, and satisfactory dielectric properties (K-max > 13,000). The technique is simple and economic, does not require any controlled atmosphere, and minimizes hazards from lead volatilization.