The sintering behaviour of lanthanum chromite with the addition of 1 to 3 wt% TiO₂ was studied. Densification was examined as a function of sintering temperature and TiO₂ concentration. The results showed that pure LaCrO₃ could not be densified to >75% of the theoretical density, while the densities exceeding 90% of the theoretical were achieved with 3 wt% titania addition at 1600° C.

Metallographic study reveals a normal grain growth following the rate equationD²−D₀²=kt. Activation energies both for densification and grain growth have been estimated to be ≈ (80±5) k cal/mole in case of 3 wt% TiO₂ addition.

Polycrystalline silicon and zinc oxide ceramic are important electronic materials. The electrical properties which determine the applications of polycrystalline silicon in integrated circuits and solar cells and that of ZnO ceramic in varistors are due primarily to grain boundary effects in them. A large amount of information in this area has already been gathered in literature but the quantitative understanding of grain boundary effects in these materials is not yet complete. In this review the important aspects of grain boundaries and their effects on transport and photoelectric properties of polycrystalline silicon and on the I–V characteristic of ZnO varistors are discussed.