Abnormal grain growth occurring at the surface of a sintered BaTiO3 specimen

Abstract

When a BaTiO3 powder compact was sintered in air, the abnormal grain growth (AGG) was observed to occur at the surface of the specimen. The BaO evaporation from the surface and consequent formation of eutectic liquid is suggested to be the cause of AGG. When the evaporation of BaO during sintering was prevented by embedding the specimen in the same powder, no AGG was observed to occur.