Effects of solid-state reaction temperature on the activation energy and DC-bias superposition of NiCuZn ferrites based on master sintering curve

This work reports our recent studies on the microstructure and properties of NiCuZn ferrites, with particular interests in effects of solid-state reaction temperature on the sintering activation energy and DC-bias superposition characteristic. The theory of master sintering curve was used to investigate the densification evolutions of NiCuZn ferrites during sintering process. Experimental results demonstrated that materials with solid-state reaction temperature of 850°C exhibited the lowest value of activation energy, 577.6 kJ mol−1. When the solid-state reaction temperature was lower than 800°C, reaction could not be perfectly completed, which would hinder the consolidation process during heating up. In addition, increased solid-state reaction temperature could facilitate the homogeneous grain growth, reduce the final grain size and improve DC-bias superposition characteristic. Possible mechanisms behind are discussed.