Fabrication of highly oriented Al doped ZnO ceramics by a highmagneticfield via gelcasting

Abstract

The highly c-axis oriented Al doped ZnO was prepared by a combination of high magnetic field and gelcasting techniques. Optimized gelcasting conditions made it possible to align the particles preferentially along the c-axis within a short exposure time in the high magnetic field. The particle orientation was not degraded and disturbed by the gelation and subsequent processing. The degree of orientation was increased after sintering at 1400oC. This study indicated that applying the magnetic alignment via gelcasting method provides effective and versatile techniques to fabricate large and dense grain oriented materials.