Role of sintering temperature on thermal, electrical and structural properties of Y2Ti2O7 pyrochlores

Pyrochlores exhibit variety of properties which can be tailored by changing the processing conditions. In the present study, the sintering characteristics, thermal expansion coefficient, crystal structure and conductivity behavior of pyrochlores have been studied for different applications. It was observed that sintering at 1550 °C for 12 h exhibits more oxygen deficient YTiO2.085 phase which shows two order of magnitudes higher conductivity than Y2Ti2O7 phase. The conductivity enhancement in YTiO2.085 sample is attributed to higher oxygen deficiency which may be created due to transformation of Ti4+ to Ti3+ at low oxygen pressure.