Abstract
Microstructural characteristics and the corresponding resistivity-temperature (ρ-T) properties of microwave- and conventional sintered Pb 0.6 Sr 0.4 TiO 3 materials with positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTCR) were investigated in the present work. The specimens prepared by microwave sintering exhibited a single T c , whereas those prepared using conventional sintering show double T c behavior. During the microstructural investigations, sintering aids, SiO 2 and TiO 2 , showed intriguing liquid phase sintering characteristics in the specimens. Large amounts of Pb-species dissolved in high Si regions, where a nonequilibrium core-shell structure was frequently observed, especially for microwave sintered specimens, which showed very complicated domain arrangements in the grain interiors.