Preparation and Properties of Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide Ceramics with Cold Sintering Process

High density aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) ceramics were prepared by using two-step cold sintering process (TS-CSP) at 300 ℃. Phase composition, relative density, microstructure and electrical properties of the AZO ceramics were characterized by using XRD, density tester, SEM and four-probe testing system. It is found that the doping of Al has an strong effect on structure and properties of the AZO ceramics. When the doping concentration of Al₂O₃ is 2.0 wt.%, the AZO ceramics exhibited electrical properties. After annealing treatment, the AZO ceramics had a relative density of as high as 99.46% and a resistivity of as low as 3.43 × 10^-3 Ω·cm.