Effect of Oxygen Contamination on Densification of TiB ₂

Abstract

In order to identify the mechanisms behind the adverse effect of oxygen contamination on the densification of TiB 2 ceramics, densification and grain growth behavior during pressureless sintering (1700° to 2050°C) were examined as a function of oxygen content of the powder and compared with those observed during hot‐pressing (1400° to 1700°C). Marked difference in the grain size‐density relations was observed between the two processing methods. Specific roles of oxygen in various kinetic processes were analyzed and the likely oxygen‐bearing species were also identified.