Thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties of Gd2O3 doped cordierite ceramics

In this study, we utilized the solid-state synthesis method to prepare a Gd2O3-doped cordierite ceramic (0-12.5 wt%). Our objective was to investigate the effects of Gd2O3 doping on various properties, including phase composition, microstructure, sintering characteristics, thermal expansion, mechanical strength, and dielectric properties of cordierite ceramics. Our findings indicated that the introduction of Gd3+ ions had a significant impact on the formation of the cordierite phase, the reduction of spinel impurity, and the growth of grain size, leading to a decrease in the coefficient of thermal expansion. As the amount of Gd2O3 doping increased, the coefficient of thermal expansion decreased from 2.91 x 10(-6)/degrees C to 2.15 x 10(-6)/degrees C. We achieved the highest flexural strength of 68.54 +/- 2.36 MPa in cordierite ceramic doping with 10 wt% Gd2O3 due to optimal densification. Moreover, the quality factor increased from 30,400 GHz to 64,800 GHz, and the dielectric constant ranged from 4.08 to 6.19.