Novel Microwave-Assisted Method of Y ₂Ti ₂O ₇ Powder Synthesis

Abstract

In the paper, a novel technique for highly dispersed pyrochlore Y ₂Ti ₂O ₇ is proposed. The experimental results proved that the application of microwave irradiation at a certain stage of calcination allowed synthesizing of Y ₂Ti ₂O ₇ in much shorter time, which ensured substantial energy savings. An increase up to 98 wt.% in the content of the preferred phase with a pyrochlore-type structure Y ₂Ti ₂O ₇ was obtained after 25 h of yttrium and titanium oxides calcination at a relatively low temperature of 1150 °C, while the microwave-supported process took only 9 h and provided 99 wt.% of pyrochlore. The proposed technology is suitable for industrial applications, enabling the fabrication of large industrial amounts of pyrochlore without solvent chemistry and high-energy mills. It reduced the cost of both equipment and energy and made the process more environmentally friendly. The particle size and morphology did not change significantly; therefore, the microwave-assisted method can fully replace the traditional one.