Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.90, No.11, 3503-3506, 2007
C-Axis orientation of KSr2Nb5O15 using a rotating magnetic field
We fabricated c-axis-oriented KSr2Nb5O15 (KSN) ceramics using a rotating strong magnetic field with subsequent sintering. The degree of orientation of the green compact was about 0.1 for (00l), as evaluated from the Lotgering factor in X-ray diffraction. The orientation of the structure was enhanced by sintering at 1673 K; the Lotgering factor of the sintered body increased to 0.8. Microstructural examination indicated a well-oriented structure in which the longitudinal axes of the rectangular-shaped grains were oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the magnetic field. KSN oriented on the a, b axes could be similarly fabricated using a strong static magnetic field.