microwave fast sintering of submicrometer alumina

Commercially available alumina powder with high-purity submicrometer particle size and narrow particle size distribution was fully densified by a microwave hybrid fast firing technique. The alumina compacts were surrounded by susceptor material, which helped the heating of the samples, and sintered in a microwave oven at a frequency of 2.45 GHz and a power level of 1.8 kW. The sintered samples reached densities of 99% in sintering cycles of 30 to 40 minutes, a much shorter time than conventional sintering processes. The sintered samples showed uniform microstructures with powder particle size/average grain size rations higher than 1:2.