Preparation and Characterisation of Gd2Zr2O7 Ceramic by Spark Plasma Sintering

Rare earth Gd2Zr2O7 ceramic was prepared by spark plasma sintering from Gd2O3 and ZrO2 powders. The powders were sintered at 1400°C for 10min. The synthesized ceramic was annealed at 800°C for 2h under air atmosphere. XRD structural and SEM microstructural characterization showed the formation of a single phase material with pyrochlore crystal structure. The relative density of Gd2Zr2O7 ceramic was measured by the Archimedes method with an immersion medium of water and the results revealed that the relative density of the ceramic was 92%. The thermal conductivity of the ceramic was tested by laser flash method from room temperature to 700°C. The result shows the thermal conductivity of Gd2Zr2O7 ceramic is lower than that of 7YSZ.