Rare-earth zirconate (Re2Zr2O7, Re = La, Gd, Nd, Y) ceramic materials was synthesized by solid-state reaction method through high-energy ball-milling process (HEBM) and subsequently followed by two different calcination techniques. The impacts of the two different calcination techniques on the phase structure, morphology, powder flowability (i.e. particle size and distribution, specific surface area, pore size and pore volume) were studied. The effectiveness of the calcination techniques of the resulting Re2Zr2O7 powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The outcomes demonstrated that both calcination techniques could produce Re2Zr2O7 powders with an excellent pyrochlore structure. The calcination temperature was reduced by the Microwave Calcination (MWC) technique when compared with the Conventional Calcination (CVC) technique. The rareearth zirconate powders exhibited different particle size distribution. The resulting particle median diameter was about 2.5- 45 μm for CVC and 1.36-2.27 μm for MWC. The powder flowability of Re2Zr2O7 powders was strongly dependent on the particle size and distribution. Thus MWC technique for the preparation of Re2Zr2O7 powders is the best choice of powder processing to achieve desired properties.

Keywords: Convectional calcination, Microwave calcination, rare-earth zirconates, Powders flowability, Morphology, High-energy ball-milling