Thermo-analysis of nanocrystalline TiO2 ceramics during the whole sintering process using differential scanning calorimetry

The thermodynamics of nanocrystalline TiO2 ceramics during the whole sintering process were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for different heating rates (10, 20 and 30 °C/min). The raw TiO2 powder was also studied comparably. The DSC and specific heat capacity (Cp) were also studied. The results show that there is no obvious endothermic or exothermic peak at the stage where the maximum densification rate occurred for TiO2 ceramics. The ordering process induced by the microstructural densification counteracts the disordering process induced by increasing the sintering temperature. The sintering process is a result of combination of the ordering process and the disordering one. The activation energy of nanometer TiO2 ceramics determined by Kissinger method is 103.8 kJ/mol.