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Updated: May 13, 2026
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Spark Plasma Sintering Apparatus Used for the Formation of Strontium Titanate Bicrystals
Published on: February 9, 2017
Diffusion-controlled formation of Ti2O3 during spark-plasma synthesis
I Veremchuk1, I Antonyshyn, C Candolfi
1Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe, Nöthnitzer Straβe 40, 01187 Dresden, Germany. Igor.Veremchuk@cpfs.mpg.de
Inorganic Chemistry
|March 23, 2013
Summary
Spark-plasma sintering (SPS) directly synthesized titanium(III) oxide (Ti2O3) in a single step. This titanium oxide material exhibits a semiconductor-to-metal transition and a peak thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) of 0.04.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid State Chemistry
- Nanomaterials Synthesis
Background:
- Titanium sesquioxide (Ti2O3) is a material with interesting electrical and thermal properties.
- Previous synthesis methods for Ti2O3 were complex and time-consuming.
- Understanding the transport properties of Ti2O3 is crucial for thermoelectric applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a single-step synthesis method for Ti2O3 using spark-plasma sintering (SPS).
- To investigate the electrical and thermal transport properties of SPS-synthesized Ti2O3.
- To evaluate the thermoelectric performance of the synthesized Ti2O3.
Main Methods:
- Direct synthesis of Ti2O3 from rutile/anatase and titanium powders using spark-plasma sintering (SPS).
- SPS treatment parameters: 1473 K for 180 minutes.
- Measurement of electrical and thermal transport properties between 300 K and 800 K.
Main Results:
- A single-phase Ti2O3 material was successfully synthesized in compact bulk form.
- The material exhibited a semiconductor-to-metal transition above 400 K.
- A maximum thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) of 0.04 was achieved at 350 K.
Conclusions:
- Spark-plasma sintering (SPS) is an effective technique for the single-step synthesis of Ti2O3.
- The SPS-prepared Ti2O3 shows temperature-dependent transport properties consistent with literature.
- The synthesized Ti2O3 demonstrates potential for thermoelectric applications.
