Densification of thoria through flash sintering

W. Straka, S. Amoah, J. Schwartz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Thorium dioxide (thoria, ThO2) is used in refractory applications and as nuclear fuel. Its melting temperature, the highest of any binary oxide, makes it a difficult system to process. Here we report on the effects of flash sintering on the densification of thoria. We found 95% of theoretical density is obtained at ∼950 °C (∼30% of the melting temperature) with an electric field of 800 V/cm. Variation in power density had a minimal effect on the densification. Scanning electron microscopy images show the effects of flash sintering on grain size as a function of electric field.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)677-682
Number of pages6
JournalMRS Communications
Volume7
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2017

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science

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