This paper aims to evaluate the synthesis and annealing parameters for production of nanometric Bi4Ti3O12 and its properties. The powders were obtained through the solution combustion route and the impacts of annealing temperature on the materials’ physicochemical features as well as their optical and electrical properties were investigated. Thus, the prepared powders were annealed at 600ºC, 700ºC and 800ºC and then characterized by several techniques. The results demonstrated that the combustion method was effective for production of nanocrystalline powders with high levels of purity. A trend for particle and crystallite growth was observed as the calcination temperature increased. X-Ray, HRTEM and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the crystalline nature of the powders, whereas impedance spectroscopy demonstrated a reduction of electrical resistance according to the calcination temperature applied. Optical properties were not highly influenced by annealing. The temperature of 600ºC was appropriate to produce crystalline particles with desirable low sizes for application.

Coprecipitation synthesis of nanocrystalline india-stabilized zirconia with high surface area and codoping with MoO3, WO3, TaO2.5, or NbO2.5 is reported. The concentration of codopants was defined by the charge-compensating mechanism. Ethanol washing followed by azeotropic distillation and freeze drying were compared as dehydration techniques for the gels. As determined by XRD and Raman scattering, 9 mol% of InO1.5 plus charge-compensating dopants is sufficient to completely stabilize the high-temperature tetragonal phase of zirconia. The effect of alloying hexavalent and pentavalent oxides was secondary compared to the InO1.5 concentration in the retention of the tetragonal structure. Improved specific surface area of 106.1 m2 g‒1 and crystallite size between 8 and 9 nm were achieved through ethanol washing and subsequent azeotropic distillation even after calcination at 600 ºC. This result is attributed to the effect of the incorporation of ethoxy and butoxy groups after the treatment of the gels in organic medium, as detected by FT-IR spectroscopy and DSC/TG.

Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) perovskite-type oxide is currently one of the most promising materials for applications in solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs), oxygen separation membranes, and catalytic membranes for methane conversion. BSCF powder synthesis has received considerable attention and new synthesis methods have been proposed to obtain nanoscale powders with high chemical homogeneity. In this study, BSCF perovskite powder has been successfully prepared by microwave assisted combustion in aqueous solution. The synthesized powder was characterized by DSC, BET, XRD, and SEM. BSCF powder presented phase homogeneity, high specific surface area (9.93 g/m2) and nanometric crystallite size (23nm). The microwave sintering has been conducted in different conditions of dwell time and temperature. The influence of the temperature and the dwell time on microstructure was evaluated by optical microscopy. The results showed that microwave sintering could achieve the same densification compared to conventional sintering with only 10% of processing time. This shorter processing time has resulted in a reduction of grain size of up to 46.5%, compared to conventional sintering.

Copper-substituted bismuth vanadate has been considered a promising material for composite cathodes in SOFC. However, high reactivity of BICUVOX.10 towards the electrolytes still has been its greatest shortcoming. This paper describes reactions between BICUVOX.10 and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes. Secondary phases formed were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and a.c. impedance spectroscopy. A deleterious interaction between BICUVOX.10 and YSZ was observed, mainly regarding the yttrium depletion from ZrO2 lattice through reaction with VO2.5, resulting in YVO4 phase nucleation and destabilization of the tetragonal and cubic ZrO2 polymorphs to monoclinic. The ZrO2 destabilization and YVO4 nucleation are related phenomena and were interpreted through a theoretical mechanism using charge-compensating dopants description. Thus, these reactions were seen as detrimental to the cathode/electrolyte contact, especially regarding the highly resistive layer formed in the BICUVOX.10/YSZ junction, discouraging further usage of BICUVOX.10 as a cathode in yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolytes.

Red mud, which is a solid waste produced in the alumina production process, is classified as dangerous due to its high pH. In this work, the concentration of chlorides was monitored by measuring the conductivity of the anolyte, which initially was distilled water. The steady and nonsteady-state chloride diffusion coefficients were estimated from the "time lag"� and "equivalent time" between diffusion and migration experiments. The capillary water absorption, apparent porosity and pore size distribution of concretes were also analyzed. The addition of red mud apparently ensured lower chloride diffusion in the tested mixtures due to its superfine particle-size distribution and its "filler"� effect. Red mud lengthened the service life of the concrete to 35 years (double that of the reference concrete). This finding is very positive since it indicates a delay in the onset of the rebar corrosion process caused by the migration of chloride ions.

The sheave leather was subjected to chemical treatment in an attempt to immobilize chromium ion in a matrix of cement. Cementitious pastes were obtained by adding different proportions of waste treated solutions (5 and 10% compared to the cement mass) and the pH and setting time (hardening) were measured. Aiming to check the leather influence in Portland cement pastes, the phases formation were observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the pretreatment was effective for the waste dissolution and the pH of treated waste chemical solutions did not influence significantly the characteristics of cement paste, with a slight increase in setting time results.

Magnesium phosphate cement materials are formed by reacting magnesium oxide with water-soluble phosphates such as monoammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP), which solidifies at ambient temperature through the formation of hydrated phases in the material. Cylindrical specimens of magnesium phosphate cement were molded and varying amounts (0 to 30% weight) of grinding dust were added to the ceramic matrices. The influence of the addition of grinding dust on the characteristics of the mortars in terms of microstructure (SEM), mechanical strength and capillary water absorption was verified. The results obtained proved very satisfactory for the use of this waste as an additive in magnesium phosphate mortars.

The constant heating rate method employed in sintering studies offers several advantages over the isothermal method, particularly the fact that all the parameters that describe the sintering phenomena can be obtained from a single sample. The purpose of this work is to determine the parameters of sintering kinetics of nanosized Ni-Zn ferrite powders synthesized by combustion reaction. The nonisothermal sintering method was studied using a constant heating rate (CHR). The Ni-Zn ferrite powders, with average particle size varying from 18 nm to 29 nm, were uniaxially pressed and sintered in an horizontal dilatometer at a constant heating rate of 5.0 °C/min from 600 °C up to complete densification, which was reached at 1200 °C. The compacts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Experimental results revealed three different sintering stages, which were identified through the Bannister Theory. The shrinkage and the shrinkage rate analyzed showed a viscous contribution in the initial sintering stage, which was attributed to the mechanism of structural nanoparticle rearrangement.