Fabrication of bismuth titanate components with oriented microstructures via FDC and TGG

Fine Bismuth Titanate (Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂, BiT) powder and platelet seeds have been synthesized using sol-gel and molten slat techniques, respectively. BiT filaments of 48 vol.% solids loading (including 5 vol.% seeds) have been developed for fused deposition of net shape components. The survival of the seeds during filament fabrication (compounding and extrusion) has been monitored and necessary changes have been made to minimize seed damage during processing. The orientation of the seeds within the filament and the fabricated green components was studied to find the optimum deposition parameters and the conditions that yield maximum seeds alignment. The green FDC components were heated to remove the binder at 550°C. During sintering and/or Templated Grain Growth (TGG) process at a temperature range of 1000 to 1100°C, the seeds grew and induced an oriented microstructure by consumption of the fine grain matrix. X-ray technique and SEM were used to characterize the degree of orientation