Characterization of α⇆β PbF2 phase transition by several techniques

X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Dynamic-Mechanical Analysis (DMA), Impedance Spectroscopy (IS), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) have been used to the study of alpha --> beta phase transition in PbF2 pellets pressed uniaxially in the 37 MPa-480 MPa range. A mixture of beta and alpha phases is detected and the alpha-phase content at room temperature is found to be dependent on the applied load. The dilation results on DMA, the phase identification by XRD, the ionic conductivity results by IS analysis and the SEM micrographs of beta-PbF2 pellets show evidences for the increase in alpha-phase content at the expense of the beta-phase. SEM analysis provided further evidence for specimen sintering under heating at approximately 498 K. (C) 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers.