Conventional electroceramic materials are typically sintered at high temperatures above 1 000 ℃. However
such high-temperature sintering conditions often result in performance degradation of functional ceramics and restrict their compositing with other materials
such as polymers and metals. As an emerging low-temperature sintering technique
the cold sintering process (CSP) allows ceramic densification at temperatures below 300 ℃
significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions during manufacturing. This method provides a novel strategy for the development and performance optimization of advanced electroceramics. This paper mainly summarizes recent advances in cold sintering of zinc oxide (ZnO) based electroceramics and their composites. First
the densification mechanism of ZnO ceramics with CSP is discussed. Then
the low-temperature sintering processes for various electroceramic composites
including ZnO varistors
ZnO-polymer
ZnO based two-dimensional material composites
and ZnO-metal are analyzed. These materials exhibit excellent electrical
optical
and mechanical properties
along with unique features such as superhydrophobicity
grain anisotropy
and switch-like behavior. The results indicate that CSP exhibits promising application in ZnO-based electroceramics and their composites
while also providing valuable insights into the design and performance enhancement of other advanced electroceramic materials.