LAUSR

Abstract The preparation of pure Ca3Co4O9 materials in the form of dense bodies made of nano-sized grains was investigated by combining a sol-gel route, different thermal cycles, a ball-milling post-treatment and final densification with HP-FAST (High Pressure-Field Assisted Sintering). We found that an effective way for obtaining nano-sized compact bodies with only a marginal increase of the particle sizes of the original powder was the operation of HP-FAST at extremely high pressures (up to 430 MPa) and comparatively low temperatures. A ball-milling treatment before HP-FAST compaction was then required to hinder the large plastic deformation occurring when using these pressures. In contrast, un-milled powders could be densified by HP-FAST only at lower pressure and therefore required higher temperatures, thus losing their nanostructure. For all powders, X-ray absorption spectroscopy assessed a mean Co oxidation state slightly higher than III, coupled to absence of localized Co(II) and presence of localized Co(IV). Ball milling induced a decrease of the mean oxidation state of Co coupled to an increased disorder. The latter effect was confirmed by X-ray Absorption Fine Structure. Nanostructure had a complex effect on the different properties of compact bodies. According to the different conditions of HP-FAST, densities of 75–98% were achieved; the decrease in thermal conductivity was of a factor 2–3, while the electronic transport properties – in particular electrical conductivity – of nano-sized compact bodies were reduced to a larger extent with respect to their micro-sized counterparts. This demonstrates that, for bulk Ca3Co4O9 materials, nanostructure was not an effective approach toward a performing thermoelectric material.