Effect of Bismuth of Oxide Content on the Sintering of Zinc Oxide

Densification and microstructure de velopment in Bi 2 O 3 ‐doped ZnO have been studied with a special emphasis on the effect of the Bi 2 O 3 content. A small amount of Bi 2 O 3 in ZnO (0.1 mol%) retarded densification, but the addition of Bi 2 O 3 to more than 0.5 mol% promoted densification by the formation of a liquid phase above the eutectic temperature (∼740°C). The liquid phase increased grain‐boundary mobility, which was responsible for the formation of intragrain pores and the decrease in the sintered density. The increase in the Bi 2 O 3 content increased the probability of the formation of skeleton structure, which reduced the grain growth rate and the sintered density.